Is this supposed to be satire nor does Frank Bruni just have a really active imagination?
39
Oh, Frank. Please. No. No. No. Just No.
43
As Don Lemon reminded us: she was a birther right along with her husband. Nope. No redemption for her as she trolls him. Nope. Publicly LEAVE him and come out saying he is a vile, misogynistic, racist criminal, then file for an open divorce. Now, not when he’s no longer in office. Courage. Be best, Melania. Be best.
49
Mr. Bruni, please.
44
Wow! I thought at first I was reading Cosmo here - not the NYT as it's the kind of brainless fluff under a teaser headline that Cosmo would wave about as newsworthy and actually print.
Come on NYT!! Go back to your roots, writing and printing real editorials with newsworthy information and opinions about same. Not this silly nonsensical waste of print space.
Was there nothing else to say on some other worthwhile topic?
The NYT has really deteriorated in my opinion.
Embarrassing that this was even printed.
44
Bla bla bla. Commenters know nothing about this woman.
Maybe he beats her. Maybe she’s deathly afraid of him.
She’s in a smelly environment The only thing I would bet on is that for her, her sons welfare is her primary concern
19
Frank,
I really like your pieces, but with this one, you’re just trolling us, right? :-) I mean I see the point you are making... but urrm... just no. A few tweets and fashion choices do not a great FLOTUS make.
And the title of this article is an insult to Eleanor Roosevelt.
35
Shame on you, Mr. Bruni. Amid such sad, serious and dangerous times for our country your opinion piece on the potential greatness of Melania Trump is nothing but irresponsible drivel. You owe an apology to every first lady who came before her. And how thoughtless of you to reduce eight years of incredible public service by Michelle Obama to planting squash. I used to love your writing but this piece is your Zara jacket moment. Truly disappointing.
52
That was catty, even for you, Mr. Bruni.
8
You're joking, yeah?
25
Icing on the cake. Melania could invite Barack Obama on her Africa trip.
72
hahahaha - reacting to the headline.Is this a new SNL skit?
16
Did you hear that #metoo movement? Feminists?
Marry and stay with a man who has -
Groped and sexually assaulted women and bragged about it.
Speaks over women constantly.
Dismisses them.
Rates them constantly.
Sleeps outside his marriage frequently.
Was a figurehead for the Miss America Pageant
Sleeps with pays off Porn Stars.
To saddle up to, ignore and stay silent about these things is actually empowering for you according to Frank Bruni.
19
Greater than Eleanor Roosevelt? I don't believe it.
So a First Lady must endure "a ceaseless forensic examination of [her] every accessory"? You ought to know. Mr. Bruni, you're continuing that same examination. Pussy bows and pantsuits, indeed.
Sometimes a bow is just a bow. Admire her fashion sense, if you like, but stop looking for secret codes.
38
Pussy Riot protested for civil rights, for women and others. Putin imprisoned them. Pink pussy hats were more popular than the Trump inauguration. This First Lady has fallen far short of the high standard set by Michelle Obama and others. However, she and her pussy-bow are no longer going along with the bullying, racist, erratic Mr. Trump. Welcome to the Resistance, Melania.
20
Be better, Frank. She's a narcissistic, self-serving Trump, through and through, patting herself on her (I Really Don't Care. Do U?) back at so cleverly gaslighting America with her collaborator, President Windbag.
32
This is a trivial column.. fantasizing about Melania's ability to save us all from the big, bad Trump.. Jeez..
--Have we all sunk to the point were we are sitting around hoping Melania Trump can save the world for us.?? -Perhaps Mr. Bruni has reached this nadir (which goes along with his Trump obsession)... But the fact remains..if you want something done, then look to yourself first and foremost.
19
Jon Stewart rescued two goats from the tracks this week. Tell us when Melania does something truly magical and extraordinary, and well, "ordinary" in that sense of truly being human and truly caring for the living things that inhabit this planet. Otherwise her pussy-bow is just a pussy-bow with no meaning at all.
53
Melania Trump Could Be Our Greatest First Lady If She Files For Divorce
There. Finished it correctly for you.
She was at home with her first, newborn baby and her husband was out enjoying various playmates and porn actresses. Show some self respect, lady!
92
Frank, when you wrote this column, perhaps you were under the influence. What can make Melania great? Nothing. Reading a few lines written by her flotus staff does not even get her a D. She is just a gold-digger, no Einstein. She and her parents may have broken immigration laws that her husband is using to split up poor families, snatching babies out of their parents' arms. She knew her husband was a philanderer yet she married him to be his third wife. And she keeps looking the other way when faced constantly with that reality. All she is about are her designer dresses, shoes and gold glitter around her. I will certainly not put any faith on her so called good intentions because they are not. Neither do I sympathize with her. She made her bed and she can lie in it!
27
Too little, too late
2
I'm missing a real First Lady. Melanie is not doing a good job. She appears vacant without any depth. She's in over her head.
17
Not the greatest. She can't touch Michele Obama.
22
Good god, Frank....give me a break. She knew who this guy was when she married him. She agreed to play the game with him in exchange for the good life. If she really wanted to make a statement, she'd file for divorce. But she's probably precluded from that by a prenup that would deny her the riches she married him for. So she sticks around and pretends to be a first lady. Please don't insult our intelligence by elevating her act to the level of patriotic savior. She's a grifter, married into a family of grifters. Nothing more, nothing less.
34
Her resume is basically she was a nude model.
Married for money and was allowed to immigrate by receiving the Einstein visa (supposedly reserved for foreign nationals who either have "extraordinary abilities", or are "outstanding professors, researchers, executives, scientists or other outstanding talents".
Right.
She in her way is no better than the dotard. Quit writing about her.
41
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!?!
Please review Mrs. Trump's entire immigration history, which is suspect. I wouldn't want to be married to him, but c'mon. Have some respect for LAW and for WOMEN.
17
Never ever in a lifetime will this person even come close in comparison to other great First Ladies.
Just because she does not engage in the sort of cyber bullying her husband seems to enjoy so much doesn't make her a remarkable person.
Her impact so far, after 1 1/2 yrs of Trump pretending to be an apprentice POTUS: NIL.
"Be best" is a nothingburger, and just dressing up nicely is also nothing noteworthy either.
The sooner she and her unfaithful husband vacate Penn 1600, the better.
14
Melania felt it necessary to sue a a British newspaper to assert she wasn’t an escort. Most women would not find this necessary as their career legitimacy is self evident.
24
The truly evil ones to my mind are Melania, Ivanka and Jared who should know better. They are bought and paid for, and they say nothing.
21
Don't forget Barbara Bush's funeral, smiling with all the former Presidents and First Ladies
3
Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton. To put Melania's name up there is absolutely disgusting.
26
Frank, is this your version of the New yorker's Borowitz report?
13
If I'm to believe that Melania Trump's wore a white pants suit to the State of the Union to troll her husband, then whom shall I believe she was trolling when she wore an "I don't care, do U?" jacket to visit children detained at the US border?
17
i think she is as much of a grifting con artist as the rest of the bunch. with her made-up "degree" (which mysteriously disappeared from her website), and her questionable immigration history (not that i care, but immigration is the be-all / end-all for DOLT45), and her boasts that she speaks 5 languages fluently (but she can apparently only manage "hello", "please" and "goodbye") ... she fits right in with all the other liars in the WH.
24
I thought her trip to Africa is a ploy to attract votes from African American voters.
8
i don't pay mind to her husband, but she is fab...u...lous.
3
In this moment, there's no use for comparative judgment, just as there's no use for humor. I don't take joy or comfort in the regular roasting of Trump by the late night talk show hosts, and similarly, I don't care about the First Family historical perspective. I just care about bare bones strategy and results. What will it take to end this disastrous episode and when will we be delivered from it?
I don't care about Melania's personal attributes or trolling ability, only about the potential she holds to be a game changer and a tipping point broker. For instance, can and would she threaten to divorce Trump while he's still in office rather than after he returns to private life? That's more important than analyzing her wardrobe intentions.
I don't want Trump to be known as a person who was ridiculed and deserted by a number of people; I want him to be known as a person who was fired by a number of people.
5
Our Greatest First Lady : Eleanor Roosevelt.
6
No one can speak for Melania except Melania. If she did not know what she was getting into when she married Trump then she is/was incredibly naive. If this was the case then perhaps she is indeed a woman scorned. Whether her future actions and behaviors are ones that seek redemption is between her and her maker.
2
For whatever (mostly sexist) reasons, there is an assumption that women will moderate the behavior of male politicians. According to this narrative, Ivanka was going to be the conscience of the Trump administration. Now Frank claims it will be Melania. However, while Melania may rattle the bars of her gilded cage from time to time, those small moments of independence only highlight her abiding loyalty to Donald Trump.
As for the other leading women in the Trump administration, they seem to have had their consciences surgically removed. Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security, became the loudest defender for the policy of separating the parents of undocumented migrants from their children. Gina Haspel, CIA Director, justified the use of torture. Kellyanne Conway? Sarah Huckabee? Betsy DeVos? Please. That leaves Elaine Chao, aka Mrs. Mitch McConnell, Secretary of Transportation. Surely Ms. Chao has enough on her plate without expecting her to influence Trump in a positive way.
No, Frank, Melania and the other women of the Trump administration will not change Trump, much less cause him to exit the national stage because they are all thoroughly complicit. As events have already made clear, the challenge of bringing Trump to heel is a job for only one person: Robert Mueller.
7
Michelle Obama ran circles around Melania. I like Melania and I think she is sincerely trying to be decent and caring but the Obama's outclassed every president and first lady I can remember going back to Truman (I was a bit young) and Eisenhower.
4
I thought the article was quite clever. Maybe she is, maybe she isn't trolling her hubby, but at least when I see her in the news in the future, it will be more entertaining rather than irritating. Frankly, I hope she is!
2
As much as I dislike Trump as a person, his backwards policies and wholehearted believe he is unfit for office, this piece borders on conspiracy theory. This is the deadly disease that plagues journalism and the basis of our democracy. Please let's not go down the same path that fringe movements take.
Like her husband, the jury is still ostensibly out on the intent of Melania's actions.
We may find some joy in seeing her acts as defiant and showing some measure of independence. However, thus far her actions stack up to be mostly just petty, juvenile and insubordinate...like her husband. Sad!
3
I wouldn’t go whole hog, as you have Mr. Bruni, but the little I’ve seen of Melania? I just like her. In an odd way (but not anywhere near as odd as this GOP Regime), she’s keeping one well shod foot on the ground to remind us that these are two (very strange) people, but people just the same.
Be best! She has somehow broken through the baloney and sham and found something resembling the human. That her own parents just used “chain migration” to become Americans? A really beautiful contrast to the illusory-bad-immigrant created by the GOP.
Though it makes no sense (but what about any of this does), I find myself rooting for her.
3
I'm not sure if the history of the Trump presidency will ever be WRITTEN. A coloring book of this presidency will more than suffice to do it justice.
6
I think it is way too easy to look at Melania Trump (and posssibly other First Ladies) as blank canvases on which we impose our fondest wishes and hopes.
I wish the woman no ill. She can only be, like all of us, who she is.
But I'm not sure any of us know who she is.
4
I cannot read Melania's tea leaves but I know she has not been a Sarah Sanders or a Kellyanne Conway.
I know I've waited too long to act against things I knew were wrong for all kinds of reasons. Feeling powerless is hard to overcome. For me a moment would come and I would act.
Maybe Melania is getting close to that moment.
5
I rather enjoyed this op-ed because it shows both imagination and guts, imho. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but you never now -- stranger things have happened. I hope Mrs. Trump continues what I perceive as her subtle "trolling" of her husband. Just think -- what if she could actually pull it off, and one day he would just totally lose it, publicly if possible ...
2
Melania is the essence of intelligence, warmth and backbone and I consider her already one of our greatest first ladies, trumping Michelle and Hilary any day.
3
i do hope that headline was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. never has there been such a do-nothing first lady, who may not even be a legal citizen. yes, she chose to marry this guy. now she is reaping the "benefits". his character, such as it is, has always been thus. and the plagiarism of Michelle Obama's speech and other deeds is beyond the pale. not to mention the heinous choice of outerwear recently.
8
I hope -- and wish -- that Bruni is right. I've given FLOTUS the benefit of the doubt in "The First Lady Escapes: FLOTUS Flees the White House," my satirical novel coming out Oct 1. If nothing else, it will bring welcome humor to these horrendous political times.
3
I enjoyed the article but felt annoyed by the many negative comments. To judge a marriage from the outside is nothing but presumptive. Unloading and displacing anger onto Melania, even asking her to implore Trump to give up his presidency is ridiculous at best.
3
Our greatest first lady? Sorry Frank - as they say in the south - that dog just don't hunt. Melania may jab at 45 with passive-aggressive attempts to take some of the air out of him but this does not equate with greatness. Tirelessly traveling around the country - as her husband's 'legs' - being an outspoken advocate for social justice made Eleanor Roosevelt great; speaking openly about illness (breast cancer) and addiction made Betty Ford - if not great - an advocate for those who needed a voice in those similar circumstances.
Until the current FLOTUS - each has tried to advocate for a cause and for ordinary Americans - until this one. Her half-baked attempts at finding her voice have been, at best ill-advised, at worst, just plain idiotic. Just because she is trying to deflect some of the idiocy that is her husband does not garner her any ground in my book.
16
Melanie is a foil for Donald Trump supporters, "person or thing that contrasts with and so emphasizes and enhances the qualities of another". It's intentional.
4
Did you miss Eleanor Roosevelt?
6
Wishful thinking or doomed diva worship? Would that it was prescient analysis of things to come.
2
Melania Trump has done nothing of substance. Even her so-called trips to visit incarcerated children - she stopped at a photo op table, asked a few questions and flew home. Her Be Best is at best reading a few lines from a teleprompter. Her appalling jacket may or may not have been a message but it was tasteless in the extreme.
She appears to be as self-centered as her husband. And as lacking in compassion. The fact that her office can muster up a few tepid events doesn't produce anything resembling humanity. We'll likely never know how she feels about her marriage but we are getting a pretty good picture about how little she cares about everyone else.
10
Are you seriously minimizing Michelle Obama to "planting squash" in order to make your point? I understand the gesture behind this article, but its actually quite a stretch. And that stretch is in fact somewhat offensive. If Melania is taking mini-steps to subvert her husband than great, but its time for big voices, the likes of Michelle Obama or Eleanor Roosevelt.
10
Give me a break. Let's assume I am intelligent.
I have one or two words to sum up Ms. Trump, "Birtherism" and "inventable". I think she made up the second word at the cyber-bullying press conference recently.
Here are two telling sentence too, "I really don't care. Do you?"
None of those words or ideas make her "Be best." Are there no participles in Slovenia?
6
Melania knew who she was marrying, Trump is the same self promoting, womanizing, arrogant braggart that he's always been. Melania accepted his loutish behavior and his character flaws in exchange for being part of his over the top glitzy lifestyle. The only thing she didn't bargain for was that he would become president, she would be under the attendant unceasing spotlight, and his adulterous affairs and buffoonery would be given a global platform.
4
For Mr. Bruni to even pose the question demonstrates that he has no grasp of the facts regarding Mrs. Trump. Indeed, I would argue that, at least in this column, he is as clueless as the facts show Melania to be.
3
Interesting take. My guess has been that she doesn’t have a strong grip on American English, and probably not the British version either.
2
She was on board for the despicable birther business. Even if you're kidding, Frank, this is over the top.
10
Only 3 forces seem to scare Trump to the point that he rarely if ever comments on them: Stormy Daniels, Putin and Melania.
He's terrified of his vanity and cash flow being destroyed.
Melania can use that power to turn the nation around. I pray she does.
2
Michelle, Jackie, and Eleanor. Standards are standards.
5
Have we seen the ante-nuptial agreement? Perhaps Donald can't afford divorce and still maintain his cover.
Easy to see the author never heard of Dolly Madison. Just imagine that a foreign army is murdering and maiming your citizens and friends and burning homes and cities when this pint sized little lady has the temerity to snatch American treasures and irreplaceable history from a ravenous force. Someone must have slept through American history.
10
I am not given to trashing First Ladies, no matter how I feel about their husband. I would be as hypocritical as many of my Trump supporting family and friends if I supported Hilary Clinton's marital choices, but not Melania Trump's. However, I do have a huge problem with the message that was sent after the election by many Trump supporters. Simply put, I saw post after post proclaiming how wonderful it was to have an "elegant" First Lady back in the White House. It didn't take much deep thought to translate "elegant" into "white" or "traditional". Aside form my obvious discomfort with hearing those worrds from people I knew, I also felt great discomfort about the message they were sending their daughters and granddaughters.
In the era of "Me Too', the message was clear and dismaying. Looking good, marrying rich, and living really well trumps (pardon my word choice) working hard, earning a Princeton law degree, being accomplished in your own right, AND having a strong marriage and raising two great kids. That's not a message I would want my daughter to hear. Unfortunately it colors my own feelings towards the First Lady no matter what good she does in the world. The best good would have been to stay in New York, divorce the slimebag, and found her own voice! Now there's a good role model!
22
A friend of mine has proposed that she is actually Donnie's handler. Mustbadmitbthe theory has some appeal....
5
Thanks for you observations, Frank.
Next topic, please.
2
Seriously? This is an emotionally abused woman who does not appear to have the intelligence to to deal with the bed she made. Her passive aggressive attempts to...what? -- publicly shame her husband? -- are, well, sad. Nobody can pretend to have a clue as to what she's doing because she doesn't know. But one thing is certain. She made more than one deal with the devil and supported him throughout his campaign, and the fact that she's still there means she's still supporting him. She signed away her right to sympathy when she signed the prenup.
3
At the risk of repeating another's insight, could this apparent aberration be a sort of clandestine cooperation -- like a good cop, bad cop -- between the Donald and his "wife?" I feel certain that all is not well in the Trump Towers while their son is being "sheltered" from the storms. But like the gifted writer, I am glad she is displaying herself as a First Lady (not that the modeling was a bust) and pursuing initiatives that many of us not only endorse but could be doing ourselves. As part of the We-Too movement, I don't give a hootenanny what she wears or what hairstyle she chooses. She's got a solid head on those shoulders and can melt butter. I gotta believe she is capable of conducting herself well, here and abroad. So I don't really think she is under her husband's thumb or......
My first reaction Mr Bruni is, Can I have some of that you're drinking, smoking, eating, etc...
I would happily celebrate Melania if she took an actual stand, if she gave testimony under oath and produced tapes and records.
She's playing the same game as #45, divide and conquer. She's not outright lying, she is worse. She is obfuscating via vagary and ambiguity, which is less easy to detect.
3
I’ve got another take on Rosebud. My guess is that “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” was the last thing he said to her as she left to visit the freshly made orphans.
4
Or, her job is the same one women have had for thousands of years--cleaning up the husband's messes. In this case instead of strewn clothing it's spewed venom. He send the dog whistles to the "base", she softens the edges for those who might be otherwise alienated. Sounds like a classic scam to me.
11
Locker room talk. She is complicit.
12
Sorry. Don't read into something that's not there please. All I see is a passive agressive behavior from an adult who obviously, to put it mildly, despises her other half, but just still doesn't despise him enough yet to leave him.
2
No, no and no. How could Mr. Bruno give Ms. Trump that much space, time and effort. As such, I will not. Just no.
9
Are you kidding, Frank? Queen trump is in to this to the top of her head and beyond.
She is no one of note. If she was she would not have gotten hooked up with The Con Don.
10
I don't think the third Mrs. Trump cares how we see her. Do you?
But, in the heart of what is expected of a First lady of the United States is for her to Care. And to establish clearly-stated messages and missions. Does she?
Another First Lady, for instance, whose private life in marriage may have been more thorny than was made public at the time, gave the White House a rose garden.
5
She could make a historically magnificent statement for the strength and autonomy of all women by divorcing him now.
15
This essay would give me hope IF I believed that the script of history could be re-jiggered by one of those under-appreciated authors who write gloriously satisfying but improbably revenge novels (The First Wives Club, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, etc.).
But you're right about this, Mr, Bruni: MT is not topiary. She's a bougainvillea bush. As anyone who lives in the tropics knows, they are sturdy and beautiful...but riddled with horrifying thorns and impossible to get rid of once they've taken root in our gardens.
8
You have insulted all the wonderful First Ladies that came before her with you flippant bi-line and your article is offensive to all the people who are actually working hard to better humanity. Don't forget, she supported the abhorrent racist birther movement, is dismissive when women speak out about sexual harassment of her husband, and her Be Best (whatever that means) campaign is a joke when she is married to the most prolific cyberbully around. Remember she has chosen to marry and stay married to this man, so is complicit in bringing shame to the institution of the President. She has chosen her path and her actions are an embarrassment and a wasted platform on which she has an opportunity to do so much good, but is doing anything but.
40
I will believe this when she apologizes to President Obama and the US for embracing her husband's vile birther claims.
47
Someone, please dig up the non disclosure agreement that Melania signed that keeps her from spilling Trump's secrets.
She's not doing it out of love. No doubt, he'll ruin her if she breaks it.
Great first lady?
Michelle Obama.
48
Are you kidding me? Melania doesn't care about being First Lady. It's patently obvious. And it's an insult to all previous First Ladies. I have one word for her: Enabler.
30
Sorry, Frank. I can't get past the photo of her in a thong exposing her substantial butt and poised on the wing of an airplane brandishing an AR-15. Not exactly a first "lady" I would characterize as "great".
32
Melania married a man she knew to be despicable and boorish, not only to others but to women, esp those to whom he was married. She is wife #3. He cheated on #1, publicly humiliating her with wife #2. She knew he was a philanderer. She knew he was racist, a misogynist, an egomaniac. She knew he cared for no one but himself. She knew and still she married him. She does not get credit for marital martyrdom. She does not get credit for passive aggressive behavior intended to show her indignation of his behavior toward her and others on the public stage. I don't care about her marriage. I care about our country. Greatness is found in courage not pussy-bow coups. At this time in our history her greatness will be shown by publicly not passively rejecting her husband's behavior toward others, his corruption, his family separation (kidnapping) policy and his efforts to destroy the democracy that has allowed her, an immigrant, and her parents, also immigrants, to be citizens of this country. Act like a citizen not just a scorned spouse then we can talk about greatness.
39
Melania will get my respect when her lawyer serves Mr Trump with divorce papers. All this Bruni describes is just pussy-footing.
20
I did not know cats wear bows. Poodles do, or my mother's used to be made to wear little bows and because the "dog bows" pleased my mother so much, much like here to use "pussy bows" but incorrectly, the poodle, Terry, would bow her bowed head and accept a gentle petting.
1
Melania is no Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary Todd Lincoln, Mamie Eisenhower, Rosalyn Carter, Jackie Kennedy, Barbara Bush, or Laura Bush, to name just a few of the women of integrity, valor and honor that have graced our White House. She lives in silence, full well-knowing of her husband's infidelities, traitorous acts, and questionably corrupt businesses. She could stand for far more than a "pussy bow tie", "I really don't care" or her "Be Best" program which is failing miserably due to Trump's Twitter lies and nonsense. I will never respect Melania Trump until she formally files for divorce from #45 and walks away from his money to live a truly moral life.
24
I don't buy it. I think that, in this marriage, Melania's role is to take some of the edge off of the more outrageous comments of her husband, to make it seem he really isn't all that bad.
This entire family lives in its own universe, uncaring of what Leona Helmsley called "the little people," while leveraging the presidency to amass as much money as possible, morals and ethics be damned.
19
I can't think of a less deserving receptacle for my hope than Melania Trump. Breathless wishful speculation got us here. It's not going to get us out.
6
Come on, Frank. Melania as greatest first lady? So many others far exceed her...to begin with Eleanor Roosevelt. But then Michelle Obama and many others. I'd put Melania in the same league as Nancy Reagan, sort of pleasant in a remote manner and certainly well attired, but that's about it.
13
Oh, Mr. Bruni, how low our standards have been brought down! I sincerely hope I'm missing your tongue-in-cheek point, otherwise how could you forget the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy, Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford, Michelle Obama...?
24
It occurs to me that if Melania played this right, she could end up the first female president - with her new husband, Cory Booker, as first gentleman. We're so far off the rails at this point that it could happen!
2
Melania Trump could be or not could be the greatest First Lady? Kind of insulting to the former ones who worked side by side their husbands to improve the lifes of all Americans.
This column is a joke - no? Yes, she is very attractive on the outside, but it will fade eventually, how she "looks" on the inside, only she knows. But please, don't make something out of her she clearly is not.
16
If she's perceived as non-intellectual, may she become Trump's Brutus (see Latin definition). If her protestations are viewed as skin-deep, may Melania be Trump's melanoma. Tis better late than never to disrupt the disrupter from within.
2
Is this a joke? At best, Melania is an immature, silly person with only cotton in her brain and not worthy of print. At worst, assuming she is trolling, she's no better than her husband. The nation is falling apart and her response is get the New York Times to try to interpret her clothing choices? It's all about her, isn't it? Poor Melania. Imprisoned in the White House and married to a nut case. Poor Melania. Any woman with any moral base or substance would have divorced this monster many years ago or they wouldn't have married him at all. Don't let the silly little high pitched voice and expensive clothes fool you. She's a fake and has no more class or integrity than her husband.
30
Absurd! There have been so many remarkable First Ladies - Eleanor Roosevelt, Lou Henry Hoover; even Lady Bird Johnson's impact on environmental issues by planting of species native and otherwise along highways had lasting impact. You could have written an essay on the accomplishments of these women who, without 'actual' power, managed to create significant differences, rather than devoting space to a former nude model who lied about graduating from architecture school.
12
Melanie Trump was profiled by a Jewish journalist, who then received a barrage of antisemitic threats. Melania claimed she had “provoked” the abuse. She is not great in any way.
https://www.businessinsider.com/melania-trump-julia-ioffe-2016-5
5
We have enough reasons to dislike Melania without leaving out info.
"When Rapkin asked Melania about the backlash Ioffe had gotten for uncovering her family history, Melania said: "I don't control my fans, but I don't agree with what they're doing. I understand what you mean, but there are people out there who maybe went too far. She provoked them.""
That said, I think the writer is joking. Isn't he?
1
Jeez, people, lighten up. Even if it is Bruni's fantasy, it's an imaginative and finely plumed one. As another commenter said, "Whatever Frank Bruni is high on, I'll take some."
Though I'd opt for Chung Kuo's "I don't really care, do u?" as the soul of wit.
1
Wow, from the beginning this article was REALLY reaching for something that is barely there, if at all. But once I read Bruni's possibilities for the "I dont care" jacket, arms in the air laughter!! Pretty ridiculous man
14
I guess Frank achieved his goal of getting a whole lot of clicks and comments for the outrageous headline followed by a lameentable article.
15
Oh! Frank: No pussy-bow coup. Just follow the money.
12
I know I should enjoy this column, as I usually love Frank's writing. And from a practical perspective, maybe Melania will end up doing something good for this country. But c'mon. She's a grifter, just like the rest of them. I have no respect for her. She knew who she married. She knew the truth about Donald Trump. I guess it was worth putting up with him when it was all lunch with the ladies in NY, furs, jewels, and gold-adorned rooms. Now that her life has become inconvenient, she'll use the office of FLOTUS to publicly troll her husband? That's disgusting. Just one more thing that makes a mockery of the United States. I am so embarrassed about everything that this administration is doing, including her.
261
@Kat
" Now that her life has become inconvenient, she'll use the office of FLOTUS to publicly troll her husband? "
Melania has not waited all these 18 months for her life to suddenly become "inconvenient." She has pretty much trolled him from day one.
Did you not see her frowning during the inauguration?
1
I’ve been told this piece is satire.
It doesn’t read that way to me, and I am deeply offended by Bruni minimizing Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s eight dynamic years to “planting squash.”
It isn’t helpful to remark on Melania Trump’s looks. It is more appropriate to ask why isn’t she DOING SOMETHING?
8
So...reading some of the other comments, I see most are piling on Mr Bruni for his praise of Melania. Let me remind them..of Frank's use of the word "Could" in the title.
Is Melania actually trolling Donald? I don't know and Frank doesn't really know. But pointing at past actions from Melania, such as her support for birtherism or the fact that she even married Donald does not mean she couldn't have a change of heart. Some people evolve.
Maybe she only appears to challenge Donald and none of it is done intentionally at his expense. I'll admit, if Melania is simply doing her own thing...and it's not as totally corrupt as Trump's activities, it could look good just in comparison. IOW, it could all be inadvertent. Regardless, I'll be just as happy if it helps drive Trump off the deep end.
VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS
2
Seriously?
8
I am relative of someone that cannot read. I applaud Laura Bush's literacy/education movement.
Thanks to Michelle Obama I got into gardening. At one time, I had two community garden plots. Both of them fed me while I was unemployed and living off my savings. I purchased a home with the intention of creating my own urban farm to feed myself, significant other and give away extras. There are only so many oranges I can eat.
While Nancy Regan wasn't perfect and the war against drugs has issues, I remember her campaign when I was in elementary school.
With regard to Melania, there is nothing she has done that I can use to become a better woman, American citizen, neighbor etc. No wait, she has shown me what not to do or be. I guess I will give her that.
22
There is nothing even remotely "great" about anyone in the Trump orbit. These are hollow morally bankrupt souls who have crossed the River Styx long ago.
To suggest Donald and Melania are today's version of a 1950's rom-com in which they spar to one-up each other gives them far too much credit for having souls. There is no plan with them...they flail in the darkness of greed and hunger and always have.
6
She married him, after being with him for what, 4-5 years? While Frank’s characterization of Melania as a shade-throwing secret agent is (slightly) amusing, it is my very fond hope that the NYT will STOP giving this woman PR ops (ie, the recent “Mysterious Melania” article.) Stop, just stop. She has been on every inch of this ride since (before) July 2015. A ride I dearly hope will be over very soon.
14
This is quite the fantasy. I think this all an elaborate ploy from her office & possibly with input from the West Wing to make her appear to be trolling her husband, and upping her poll numbers. Nothing, the Corrupt Enterprise that is Trump & Co. is ever done without it upping the profile fo the Narcissist in Chief
2
First lady?? She does NOT meet my definition of a lady. She went out with a married man. twice married. She did not consider the 2 wives or the children by previous marriage. No lady here. Just a permiscuous, selfish female woman who has no shame. As bad a her husband, Mr. Trump.
9
“The updated theory is that she’s trolling him. I buy it. It fits in with so much else.”
Of course she’s trolling him. But who benefits, even if it does get under Donald’s orange skin? Right now, she’s got more subtext than an episode of Mad Men, but that alone is not enough to be great, let alone the greatest. How about some ACTUAL text?
Sure, it may be fun-with-an-extra-scoop-of-schadenfreude to watch her do these things to the man who deserves all that and worse, but if I had to live like that in my own marriage, I’d leave – both for my own welfare and to teach my child (son or daughter) that a worthy woman won’t stay with a crass, lying, cheating, hypocritical, megalomaniacal partner. And I’d make a noisy exit.
If her only recourse is passive-aggression, then I’m afraid the First Lady may be inspiring a generation of beautiful, young, apathetes to become future Melanials.
11
Gosh thanks, Frank! For reducing the role of First Lady to the level of a nasty joke played on both the American people and the sitting prez, but with a little wink to let us taxpayers (who have been footing the bill for her first year living in NY and for her travels and extra protection) know we're onto her clever sub-text! Let's forget all about her blatant opportunism in hopscotching over the administration's harsh policies against chain immigration for her own parents, her absolute callousness in her choice of the infamous jacket while doing her First Lady gig in the immigrant detention centers, and her precedent-setting nude photos--something for future First Ladies to aspire to, huh? This woman would have to be reincarnated and live several Mother Theresa-like lives to come up to the level of Abigail Adam's or Eleanor Roosevelt's shoes.
12
In addition to learning how to meme, maybe we should learn how trolling works too.
Because every single thing mentioned here implies that we - the left - are the ones being trolled by her.
The jacket, the bow tied shirts, the “Be Best” anti-bullying campaign, even the trip to LeBron’s school and Africa. The first is probably designed to bring attention to this school, which is hardly a success and which was mostly a boondoggle that the taxpayers payed for, and the trip to Africa comes at a pretty curious time, with Zimbabwe’s joke of an election now being questioned and South Africa making the international news for its appropriation of white owned farms. My guess is that these trips are meant to embarrass us, not Trump.
If this sounds crazy, just apply Occam’s razor; which is more likely, that she’s secretly fighting her husband on our behalf, or that she’s subtlety fighting us and using the tactics that she learned from her husband, our nation’s Troll in Chief?
I think we’re too eager and trusting by half, as progressives. I bet Bruni read Godfrey Elfwick’s commentary and thought he was an ally too. Sometimes we’re too woke for our own good.
3
Trans Cat Mom writes, "If this sounds crazy, just apply Occam’s razor; which is more likely, that she’s secretly fighting her husband on our behalf, or that she’s subtlety fighting us and using the tactics that she learned from her husband, our nation’s Troll in Chief?"
Applying Occam's razor, I don't get your "convenient" dichotomy. I get the most likely rationale is that she does whatever she wants and is not trolling anyone. IOW, we are all reading way too much into her actions.
Still, if her "independence" is upsetting Donald...I say more power to her!!!
VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS
2
Have you forgotten this woman wearing the jacket with “I Really Don’t Care. Do U?” Frank Bruni, put down the Kool Aid!
5
Frank, couldn't you write on Ruth Bader instead? ...she should really be the greatest lady ever: just forget the 'first lady' part!
12
I do not agree. She has the US for her own personal benefits also. Using taxpayer money to fly to NYC every other week or so to get her hair down is just wrong. No she will never be "a great first lady". She is just as much a crook as trump. She should leave the WH & so back to NYC with Barron to live while trump remains in the WH. It would be cheaper & maybe trump wouldn't fly to his properties every weekend alone. Stop the sympathy for her.
7
Melania will be lucky to come out of the White House considered a lady, let alone a great First Lady
1
We marched on Washington with signs proclaiming “FREE MELANIA” as if she was a damsel in distress and needed our saving. Never in a million years did we ever imagine that she’d be the one saving us.
2
Am I the only one who thinks she could be a Russian spy? Someone from a communist family in a country once part of the iron curtain?
13
This immediately remind me of a favored poem:
A Ritual To Read To Each other
If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
For there is many a small betrayal in the mind
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dyke.
And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail,
but if one wanders the circus won't find the the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
And I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider -
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give - yes or no, or maybe -
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
- William Stafford
5
Good read ... made me chuckle and hope.
1
Frank:
I liked the column and think that I agree with you on some level. I want to like this woman and she does seem to show indications of an emerging independence. I'm a little annoyed by the negative comments about her and you. I also think it is a tad presumptuous for readers to suggest an ironic or sarcastic intent on your part.
I naively join you in your hopes.
Best wishes, Bill
2
Really Frank, I thought I had accidently mis-read the title. For a moment, I thought I was reading Maureen Dowd. Yes, satire can take the edge off a poignant and terrible moment. Melania looked like she was in pain most of the time she was talking. In fact she looks like she is unhappy even when smiling. I thought at first it was a "runway pout" but maybe not. As many commentators of this column have stated she had to know what she was getting into and I agree. Every time I see her I think of how very hard she is working for all that money. Can designer duds soothe all that humiliation and debasement coming from her husband's philandering? Sigh. Tune in tomorrow.
4
Surprise of surprises! Who knew Frank Bruni secretly sought the company of Senator Orrin Hatch?
Hatch, after meeting with newly elected president Trump, cooed that Trump has the wherewithal to be our greatest president in history. Now that Bruni has had time to tailor-measure Melania Trump, he thinks she can be the greatest first lady of all times.
What do they say? Jingle writers, flock together?
4
Surely you jest! Melania Trump is exactly what she appears to be: an empty vessel who wears haute culture and barely speaks English. Be Best! A grammatically poor slogan for a woman married to the biggest cyberbully on the planet. A woman who willingly slandered Barack Obama with the odious, vicious birther lie. I will grant that she is probably a good mother to Barron, but that would be the extent of my generosity. Melania Trump lives off the taxpayers's dime at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and has done nothing to earn her keep. The jacket was a real dealbreaker for most of us. No, Mr. Bruni, she is an insignificant shadow when compared to such a luminous, accomplished woman like Michelle Obama. She does even merit being mentioned in any sentence with the great Eleanor Roosevelt.
34
I have only two words: Michelle Obama.
28
Melania exchanged sex for cash and citizenship. In most countries, this is called Prostitution. President Trump said his wife graduated college with a degree in Architecture. This never happened. Multiple investigations into her college career by the BBC and MSNBC concluded she never graduated college.
31
I hope Michael Avenatti is available to do Melania’s divorce.
3
You're KIDDING, right?
Birtherism. Ignoring her husband's insane twitter rants...her hiding in the White House, coming out once in a blue moon...that JACKET?
Nope.
She's an empty pair of pumps. "Be best"? She's the best at "borrowing" ideas and words. She couldn't even come up with an original first solo trip.
Until this woman speaks out against her husband's toddler-like behavior, apologizes for the birther garbage, she remains...and EMPTY PAIR OF PUMPS.
20
Regardless of her motives Melania adds a bit of exotic spice to an already bizarre but very juicy presidency.
3
I would have to agree with you, Frank. I have been watching Melania with increasing interest. Most First Ladies never do anything but support their husbands no matter what scandal or calamity they cause. Most First Ladies dabble in charitable works and dress well. And here we have a charming immigrant who really stumbled into her position --and she is outshining any of her predecessors. Her words and actions are few, but when she does act or speak, she has creatively captured the moment. She is beacon of light in the White House in an otherwise chaotic storm.
1
Are you serious. Stumbled into this situation. You honestly believe there is no calculation to anything she's done or is doing?
You are evidence that people truly see only what they want to see. Even at the expense of All that is sound and true and even obvious and common sense.
4
As First Lady, Melania Trump has accomplished no more than Anna Symmes.
2
@Billy Baynew And no more than Magnolia Fly von Sacramento.
Sorry, Frank, even recognizing an ironic intent, this piece is offensive to all the honorable women who have served this country as FLOTUS. Lifting up Melania's passive aggressive reality TV show childishness as somehow helping the country and the world and worthy of respect insults all women of courage and integrity.
374
@Beverly Brewster I so agree that, even as a humorous column - and I always enjoy Mr. Bruni's writing - it does a great disservice to prior first ladies. Nothing against Melania Trump, as she remains an enigma, really. In a quietly strong and effective way, other first ladies, some great, have made a real difference, in a very positive way, in our nation. They campaigned for social justice, and worked hard at it; they supported the arts and brought diverse artists to the White House; they spoke candidly of their own emotional problems and illnesses and helped countless people in doing so; they cared about literacy, health and health care, and so many important and necessary issues. They helped enact positive change, and they served our nation with selflessness and pride.
6
The banner displayed by this article is little more than click-bait. The article itself is just plain rubbish. Melania is Trumps trophy-wife.....nothing more nothing less. While her condemnation of bullying is admirable and brings much needed attention to the issue, the impact of her efforts are negated by the constant bullying by her husband displays on his Twitter feeds. Very sad!
14
Frank Bruni has some very strange criteria for greatness. The USA has had some amazing First Ladies. If Melania's greatness is, at best, that she is trolling her husband out of personal marital dissatisfaction how is that even comparable to Eleanor Roosevelt who dedicated herself to building institutions and global agreements around Human Rights after the atrocities of WWII?
13
I'm not holding my breath. She married him after all knowing who he is.
7
She, with her passive aggressive posture, is useless and totally ineffective.
23
I think you can’t help who you love. I think speculation on her motives is an interesting parlor game but not anything more than that. (And Mr Bruni is a pro at that ). While she maximizes the benefits of her marriage to him she has a son requiring protection. Probably a lot of protection. It seems a snake pit environment to raise a son in, to me. She is a survivor, though. I suspect she gets a “jolly” or two in poking her spouse on occasion. I know I do.
3
@p. McGowan Johnson
If you think she loves him, or married him for love, that's a fantasy. She married a rich man for his money, and to stay in the US and get her family here as well. Maybe she thought having his child would make her position for secure. He made it clear he didn't want more children. Its not like he spends any time with poor Barron anyway.
2
I think Mr. Bruni your column today is a bit of a stretch. She may be trolling Mr. Trump but she's married to that sorry excuse of a president. The ultimate troll would be to walk out and divorce him!
8
Google "Eleanor Roosevelt" and get back to us on whether Melania is in the running for greatest first lady.
1209
@Ken
Or Michelle or heck even Nancy really liked her husband!
11
Thank you, and yes! @Ken
3
@Ken
Or Jackie Kennedy saving Grand Central Station etc etc.
Or Michelle Obama getting me to stop buying 2 liter bottles of soda pop.
4
The first lady is an enigma so it is easy to project all kinds of things onto her. Do you really think she wore a white suit to the State of the Union in honor of suffragettes? I would be surprised if she knows what a suffragette is.
1066
@Bart She can say "suffragette" in 6 languages. How many languages can you say it in?
5
@Bart the white outfit was more of
a slap to HRC and a smug one too given her smile!!
8
@Patty
Have you heard her speak any language other than broken English? It’s a myth that she is truly multilingual in 6 languages. Prove it.
1
Remember The Sopranos episode where Carmella meets with her priest and discusses her knowledge of and distress over Tony's way of life? The priest says if she truly disapproves of his being in the Mafia and wishes to protect her children, she has no choice but to leave him and the lifestyle he provides behind. In the end, Carmella decides she loves the grand house, expensive jewelry, luxurious cars and vacations too much to give them up. Melania has made the same pact with the devil.
414
I was appalled until I read the last paragraph. Bruni does a great job of exposing Mrs Trump's complicity with Trump's racism, misogyny and xenophobia through sarcasm and irony. Good job. When does complicit Ivanka get her just deserts?
2
She did not want to be first lady nor did she expect it. She's doing whatever she's told to do with not much concern. I don't think she's a bad person or necessarily trying to troll her husband, she's just simple and hoping that this is all over soon and she can go back to her old life of socializing and shopping.
8
Our greatest first lady? My jaw dropped. Better than Eleanor Roosevelt? Dolly Madison? I'm too flummoxed by the headline to think of other first ladies with whom Melanie Trump will never rank, much less exceed.
10
I appreciate the hyperbole, Frank. Greatest First Lady -- Ha! But she'll never go as far as you hope. She's not stupid; she knows that he's her meal ticket. He probably has the next Mrs. Trump all picked out. And their pre-nup is probably so iron-clad that she could end up homeless.
No; she's willing to poke the bear, but not kill the goose that laid the golden egg. (pardon the mixed metaphor)
8
She can lash out, Frank, but she's under his thumb.
His remaining lawyers have gold-plated evidence that she worked illegally in the US before she was a citizen.
He has pushed for policies which would strip citizenship of people who broke the law before becoming citizens, and which would deport those people and separate them from their children.
She can lash out a tiny bit if she wants, every now and then, but at the end of the day she has to take whatever he gives. He has flawless kompromat.
4
Mel has everything she ever wanted.. citizenship (such an Einstein she is), money, anchor baby, money and now her chain migration parents are newly minted citizens. She gets to fly all over the world in her own jet, money, give speeches that no one can understand but they pretend she has a higher purpose. Not worth our time.
19
Until and unless she officially leaves she will be complicit.
12
Well I admit I couldn’t get past the headline on this one one Mr Bruni so if that’s not what this piece is really about forgive me. As it stands it’s an insult to Eleanor Roosevelt and probably any number of others, Martha Washington included. Personally I like Mamie Eisenhower but that’s a subjective, personal preference.
4
The headline is different in my print copy. I almost didn't recognize the two as the same piece.
1
From the beginning of this travesty I have felt sorry for Melania, who was totally unprepared for her role as FLOTUS. I think she has done remarkably well in showing her disapproval of #45. She's learning as she goes along, and I expect to see her find even more effective ways to continue to do so.
3
Maybe....but I buy the theory that her and Ivanka actually are helping him by softening his rants and policies with their own contrary actions.
3
Is it possible that she waited for her parents to become citizens before becoming emboldened to do the right thing?
6
Thank you for trying an essay in hope Mr. Bruni.
However I am still perplexed wondering whether this OP-ED is sheer irony or wishful thinking for the next of kin to publicly ridicule and antagonize this president. Whatever it is, to endorse greatness to this lady on account of a purported public display of marital conflict at the expense of real national concerns, is at best naive and at worst insensitive. For just one example, whether Mrs. Trump's logo about not caring on route to visit cruelly traumatized children was a passive aggressive message to her husband, in the general context of such humanitarian crisis this was an uncaring, egocentric and ruthless act devoid of thoughtfulness. Any negative act should be expressed privately. Please don't promote more glorification of shallowness, exploitation and corruption than the one that is infesting this couple, the presidency and our country.
173
Can someone explain to me how trump is able to have all these rallies at the taxpayers expense? What government business is being accomplished at them?
25
No. She was a "Birther" just like her husband and I do not, will not forget or forgive that. This opinion piece give her more credit than she deserves. "Greatness" is earned, what exactly has she done aside from a few snide possible subliminal messages to her loathsome life partner? Please enlighten me how she is greater than at a minimum the last 4 FLOTUS'. I'm gonna assume you fell out the bed this morning and bumped your head behind this one! SMH....
22
As an Asian-American, it’s instructive - and incredibly disconcerting to read this.
The past 2+ years have been especially illuminating, compelling some of us previously assigned privileged “model-Minority” status, to not only pay attention, but to begin to engage and speak up.
Hard to tell if Mr. Bruni is simply tone-deaf, or merely another one of those mainstreamed (sub)conscious racists - provided cover, and tempered only by his association with the NYTimes - as opposed to the overt racism at outlets like FOX news;
But it is telling that as Mr Bruni dedicates an entire column desperately trying to positively recast/intercede on behalf of the painfully shallow, mostly absentee, marginally literate Eastern European 3rd wife of the budding despot currently decimating institutions and hard-won protections for the least among us ..
Mr Bruni consciously and glibly diminishes and dismisses as having merely “planted squash”, the double Ivy League educated historic black First Lady - who in spite of unceasing racist attacks and dehumanization of her (that continue to this day!), and even in the face of historic-level death threats, soldiered on, stoically and deftly delivering on behalf of the American people - all of them - including those who hated her simply for the color of her skin! She not only met, but exceeded her obligations in her capacity as First Lady.
Curiously, Mr Bruni also recently savaged Omarosa - even as he pleads the 3rd Mrs Trump’s case. What gives?!
31
Are you serious? You must be having a reality crisis!
18
If we lived in a real democracy where voting rights were sacred and encouraged; where our voting machines were not compromised by a questionable corporate entity with skin in the game; where corporations were NOT "people my friend"; where money did not equal speech; where our antiquated electoral college was at least used as the brake it was intended to be; where a sitting president (Obama) would have come to We the People with the news of Russian meddling in our election; where an FBI agent didn't think grand-standing was part of the job description...If all or some of that were true, today's Bruni column might have addressed how a former male president was enjoying being a first gentleman. Promoting literacy or planting squash? Instead we get this mash-up about a former escort cum trophy wife, married to a reality TV star cum president, who it turns out is also a crook and perhaps a traitor. Donald and Melania deserve each other and neither one merits this fatuous level of attention from an NYT columnist. Many of the comments are admittedly low and snarky; but Bruni egged us on!
14
Baloney! Melania has not stopped Trump from his bullying on twitter or in speeches. What did she do for the children at Mexican border with her token visit? Her jacket message said it all. "I don't care, Do you?" Melania made her pack with the devil as a Trophy wife. She knows the Donald is a womanizer.
You are insulting Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Rosalyn Carter, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. They were all GREAT first ladies.
25
Michelle Obama and Laura Bush were NOT hood ornaments, thank you very much!
29
"Marriage as psyops — it’s not virgin territory"
This is a tasteless double entendre, absolutely uncalled for and out of place in the Times.
11
Bruni, this is crazy. Even for you. Conspiracies are stupid.
12
Oh, please.
11
All Melania cares about - probably all anyone in Trump's family care about - is the Trump brand and it's future financial success. It's potential to be hurt by a humiliating political defeat or ouster are no doubt the reasons she shed tears on election night.
Trump's wealth and financial success are what she married, a guaranteed life of ease for herself and her son.
She has no interest in harming the brand, and in fact her efforts to be a kinder, gentler more attractive face of this administration, while remaining married to Donald, probably help him more than they hurt him.
I have no doubt she stands on the side of Trump in viewing the Mueller probe as a threat to the Trump family business, and when push comes to shove, will join him in calling it a witch hunt.
17
I am usually in agreement with Mr. Bruni's take on things but not today. She owes her migration chain to Trump and I'm not aware of any attempts to do anything other than fall in line. She appears to be as tone deaf as the rest of the administration and though the position in which she has placed herself might be unexpected, she hasn't, IMO, performed any redemptive acts.
Fantasies are nice but misplaced.
17
If all of these are true, then it sounds like classic passive-aggressiveness to me. Next.
6
Sorry Frank Bruni, I'm just not buying your clickbait premise. To put a Melania Trump in front as greatest First Lady, ahead of someone like Eleanor Roosevelt? Abigail Adams? Women who actually accomplished things of benefit to the country, rather than add a 'glam room' to the White House so they could get professional-grade blowouts before walking in Manolos to board Air Force One, en route to Mar-A-Lago with her bilious husband?
For plagiarizing her predecessor's speeches?
Give us a break.
28
This reads like the most bourgeois white dude article I can imagine. Looking to members of the ruling class to bring about smooth and painless revolution via throwing shade? Really? Melania is a greater first lady than Mrs Obama because why? Because her husband is more inept or because she’s white? And were still measuring women by their relations to their husbands? Do better, Bruni.
21
@Leo Why is this a viewpoint based on race? Did Bruni say that Melania was a better First Lady than previous First Ladies? No. He is simply evaluating M. Trump on the basis of her office deliberating undercutting some of the outrageous statements her husband made. I think that Melania deserves some respect even if she hasn't planted squash...in thousand dollar gold sneakers (as I remember.)
2
The ridiculousness of this is astounding. Melania's purpose is to soften the blow of the terrible things Trump does. He is either using her, or she does so willingly – tweeting things counter to whatever he has recently said that has gotten everyone up in arms, in an effort to calm them down. He calls Africa **hole countries? She's not going there because she wants to connect with the African people. She's going there to make her husband seem less racist. He says LeBron and Don Lemon are dumb? She's not tweeting because she respects those two black men. She's tweeting because Trump asked her to help fix his image after his out of control behavior. She's his accomplice and willing partner in crime. Please, stop giving her the benefit of the doubt just because she's pretty.
22
@YD - beauty i'me afraid is in the eyes of the beholder. By no sense is Melania a beauty. I have know more than my share of women in 78 years, and the most beautiful of them had beauty blossoming from within, outward beauty is meaningless when that is all there is.
5
The hardest working First Lady ever was Eleanor Roosevelt who worked her way through the 1930's depression, WWII and then the UN.
26
When there is a payoff involved, there can't be greatness IMO.
Sorry Mr Bruni, but you are barking up the wrong tree. Melania is bought and paid for by her husband. Whatever deal she made with him when they married or when he took office diminishes her potential as a FLOTUS that could be great.
These little efforts on her part are inconsequential...as long as she is by his side, she is endorsing him. Just like his kids. Just like the people in his administration. Just like the GOP-ers in Congress who remain silent every time he says or does something antithetical to our nation and constitution.
14
Sorry Mr. Bruni. I'm not buying it. Melania Trump is as tone-deaf and empty-headed as her husband. She sold her soul for a life of comfort and deserves all of the criticism that's heaped on her same as her husband.
28
Frank - I don't know if you have children or not but I have two teenage daughters and the last thing they need is to see Melania Trump's codependence. Her husband has betrayed her privately and publicly and she does nothing . . . that does not make her a role model - but I lesson for what not to do.
No matter any pundit says Donald Trump has reduced his wife role from being our First Lady to America's First Punch . . . I wish that I was wrong, but she refuses to stand tall and make her own way. I pity Baron. We all should . . .
21
I believe most Americans would like to find admirable qualities in a First Lady. In Melania Trump's case, she has a rather sketchy (she was an eager participant in Trump's Howard Stern's sexual conversations) and nasty (birther issue) history. If she is trying to turn that imagine around, I doubt it's because she has suddenly developed moral or ethical values. I think she knows that life after this presidency is not going to be kind to her.
17
Whatever Melania's motives for doing some of the positive things she's done since becoming First Lady, the one thing I wish she would do is file for divorce. Can you imagine -- the great Donald J. Trump publicly rejected by a woman? I think his head would explode.
16
This may be her way of rebelling but I don't think there is a master plan coming from her. She is not that deep a thinker. She married him knowing exactly what and whom she was getting along with all of the money. That did not deter her from doing it. He has cheated on her, but that is not a surprise. He is crass, despicable and dishonest. Also not news. The deal was arm candy for money. Principles have nothing to do with it.
Melania could divorce him. That would be the ultimate rejection of him and all he stands for, except we don't know what her pre-nup would give her if she does. So, self-respect or Trump and his money? Which is more important to her?
11
Mr Bruni, I often enjoy your columns but this one frankly offended me. She is a woman who has been completely decorative as a First Lady.
She had an opportunity to help caged immigrant children. She did nothing.
She chose to champion a subject [ "cyber-bulling" ] which she clearly knows very little about with a slogan which has very little to do with it like "Be Best"... I mean who is she targeting as her audience the "Cyberbullies" or the "Cyberbullied". Cause Be Best cannot be directed to the bullied.
In addition she is married to the biggest cyberbully, misogynist and frankly cruel human being on earth. What has she done to addressed those injured by her husband? Absolutely nothing.
So please do not tell me she can be great because she would have to at least done something to deserve it. So far, she is just another enabler.
23
Now that Melania's parents are U. S, citizens, she must feel safe enough to be herself. She is no dummy.
3
Frank Bruni forgot that she plagiarized her convention speech word for word and did not admit it.
19
She plagiarized an actually great first lady.
5
Only if she has tapes will she be the Greatest First Lady.
17
Melania's coat with "I don't care , do you" says all we need to know about her. Bruni needs to write something that isn't just wishful thinking. She is his partner and probably more ruthless than her husband.
13
Frank - you could have given even more suggestions to the First Lady without fear that she might be found to take you up on any...Don doesn’t read so he’ll never see this.
6
Mr. Bruni, you appear overly charmed by Ms. Trump's appearance and delicate subtlety. She is entirely complicit in her husband's life and folly. Just look at the complex series of clues you had to add up, like building a house of cards. If the woman really differed in her values and had integrity, she would not be so obtuse. She is laughing all the way to the bank and you are complicit with her. There is little, if any, difference between your carefully constructed clues and those of Q anon. This opinion piece is not worthy of NYT.
10
Melania was waiting to get her parents citizenship just as she knew that marrying Trump would get her her citizenship. She is as cutting as he is!
Melania can say all the nicest words but she is still in bed with the devil!!
Birds of a feather flock together!
14
I’m embarrassed for The NY Times. This is some kind of magical thinking on Frank Bruni’s part. Dreaming up a scenario where Melania the birther becomes Melania the feminist super hero belongs in the humor section. Anything that she might inadvertently do to undermine her husband’s destruction of democracy is minuscule. And to think that the GOP lost its mind over Michelle Obama suggesting that we might want to feed our kids vegetables occasionally. Ridiculous!
21
Okay, "Melania Trump COULD be our greatest First Lady," but given the competition (Michelle Obama, Lady Bird Johnson, Jacqueline Kennedy....), she WON'T be.
Barely possible, but highly improbable.
6
---I rather dislike the misleading title of the article!!
---Melania completely co-opted the Obamas' work in progress. Just as she helped herself to Melania's speeches to use as her own:
---Michelle and Barack had announced this--directed at kids:
Obama Administration Department of Education
March 10, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the President and First Lady called for a united effort to address bullying at the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. Approximately 150 students, parents, teachers, non-profit leaders, advocates, and policymakers came together to discuss how they can work together to make our schools and communities safe for all students..."
11
Compelling column, but Melania is just not smart or savvy enough to pursue this strategy.
11
@Linda Easterlin - or any strategy - the entire column was nothing but a bunch of nonsense, written by someone who has obviously lost his mind.
5
I find it hard to believe that actions such as "publicly chiding cyberbullies" Hmmm ... for the second time in 2 years? and "She chose it (Africa) defiantly, throwing shade at her husband" make Melania "our greatest first lady."
It seems that Mr. Bruni has set some very low standards for our first lady.
12
It's all in the messaging, isn't it? And who gets the last word... Lebron, Africa, cyber-bullying? We think she might NOT be making a statement? 'll be watching for Melania's next message! I remember being in the January Women's March - how many signs there were that said, "Melania -- if you want to escape, blink twice" or some such. I think she's staring him down!
2
This, Mr. Bruni, is a shameful column. Why couldn't you have made the contrast with the woman who, in the annals of history, was indeed our greatest: Eleanor Roosevelt? Instead you have to grovel in the mire of Melania who, were she to do any service to this horrific presidency, would have stayed in New York City (moving out of that tower) and sued for divorce. She would have made sure the son the Monster in the Oval Office sired with her was made safe from the wrath of his sire. No, Mr. Bruni, you went about as low as possible in this column. Shame on you.
13
What about her recitation of the "Lord's Prayer" at the Florida rally? Did she realize the context of the "Lord's Prayer" is the Sermon on the Mount? She connected the grace of Jesus' words with the ugliness of her husband' swords that followed. I cannot forget (or forgive her for) that.
8
Ooooooooh! If only.
But I don’t think this dog will hunt, Frank.
Like you, I enjoy an escapist fantasy from time to time, but this one is so over the top as to be ridiculous.
12
Please do not praise a woman who can't go any further than making veiled attempts to criticize her husband. She's nowhere near the hopes you have for her, Frank. Bottom line: Melania has 3 priorities: 1) take care of her son (as she should); 2) her clothes and accessories; 3) her prenup. End of story.
9
Equally plausible that Melania is part of a strategy to appease those Trump supporters who are hoping that the GOP, Trump's administration and others with "reign in" the president. It's not hard to imagine that after one trip to Africa by the first lady Trump announces via twitter.com that his administration has done more for Africa than any leader in the history of the world.
9
Please, this is ridiculous. If Mrs. Trump wanted to do anything other than troll her husband, she could release his tax returns, which if filing jointly, she is obligated to sign. Let her step up and be a real hero rather than thumbing her nose at Americans in addition to her husband. No, she is not going to give up the money, the position, the glory. She is going live the rich life, obtain citizenship for her parents while others wait decades or are even deported, and add nothing to the nation's morality. Remember, she stood by him on the escalator when Donald called Mexicans rapists and muderers. I do not know what Mr. Bruni is thinking, but I am furious at his lack of insight. Perhaps a pretty face turns everyone's sensibilties into mush.
19
Why is it that people continue to look for the good in this woman? Is it because she is beautiful? It's ridiculous. Yes, maybe she is taking jabs at her crazy husband. Bully for her. It doesn't make her great, in any sense of the word. And it's an insult to suggest that she might be the greatest first lady ever when we have had some truly lovely and gracious first ladies who actually TRIED.
12
It's hard to buy into this one, Frank. While there is general agreement that DJT often acts like a spoiled 2 yr. old, there is not much proof that there is any 'there' there with Melania. She dresses well, keeps in shape and seems to fulfill her role as trophy wife. I would actually respect her if she moved on; surely she can do better than her adulterous husband?
10
Good piece. She's complicated.
@Reader - I think you meant complicit.
8
Melania has gone where Hillary was too ambitious to tread. Good for her!
2
Donald Trump's travesty filled existence was far from unknown (and we are yet to have plumbed its full depth) when Ms. Trump became his third wife. Her motivations for marrying this man were clear, and any manifestations of her pique do NOT now confer sainthood status or even noble intent. She is as unworthy a First Lady as Donald is unfit and unworthy of the Presidency. Please no accolades for Melania, her albatross was her choice!
10
Give me a break, Frank! At best she is using her position to stand up to bullying through passive aggressive behavior and bringing some yucks to those of us who can still laugh. This is hardly greatness.
11
You are giving Melania too much credit. This is a well-orchestrated production that is meant to give those who would rather not be associated with Trump's ignorant, racist and disgusting words and deeds, but who love their gigantic tax cuts, the opportunity to align themselves with her behavior in an effort to absolve themselves of tolerating a moral reprehensible presidency.
8
I think you are reading too much into her dress choices. If the list you picked is indicative of her contempt for DJT, then what about her " I Don't care" jacket? Doesn't that imply her contempt for decency and the whole world? I think Melania is just a simpleton with a pretty face who got swept into where she is now by chance. Nothing more, nothing less.
12
Her platform is supposedly anti-bullying, yet she is married to the most despicable bully imaginable. She knew exactly what she was doing when she wore that "I don't care" jacket as well. She is just about as awful as he is, as far as depravity of character goes.
12
Frank, I think you give the lady too much credit....If she were as smart as you make her out to be, she would never have married Mr. Trump! That being said...I loved reading your column!
3
I think the jacket could be something he said to her.
She, "You're separating babies from their parents."
He, "I don't care. Do you?'
Yes she does.
@CathyS Doubtful. She bought into birtherism with no problem. She plagiarized the REAL First Lady woth NO APOLOGIES! There's no evidence to support that fantasy.
10
OR...She's just trying to provide cover for her husband's outrageousness. He behaves outrageously and one of his female surrogates gets the job of softening the offense by saying or doing something that is essentially meaningless, but seemingly more reasonable. This is the pattern we've seen over and over.
5
Giving too much credit to someone that hardly deserves it. It happened with Jivanka when they came on the scene. We may stay hopeful, but this point, I really don’t care about her; do you?
9
We think the title of this opinion piece does a great disservice to the history of some of our truly great First Ladies. Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama come to mind within a blink. Melania Trump is an insult and disgrace to their legacy of this position. Let's not forget how much her staying in NYC in 2017 cost the American taxpayers; reason: to not traumatize her son's school year. Yep, same people who think its abiding by the law to separate kids from their parents. Yep, same woman who got on a plane to see those truly traumatized children and families wearing that jacket.
14
I admit the headline got me to read the article, but the article didn't change my mind about her. She may be throwing shade at her husband - I would - but that is SO far from greatness in a role that can have an impact on the people of the US. Did we forget she was a complete no show the first year? And this year, some photo ops but little action? I feel for her - horrible situation - but she chose it all. She seems more like a spoiled child pushing their boundaries than a full grown woman making a difference.
8
Trapped in a gilded cage, not exactly an empowering figure.
6
There are many ways she could be great. But she simply is not. We could also see her actions as a premediated way to soften the President's abhorrent behavior and allow him to remain relevant and credible. It looks like Ivanka is doing just that as well. Anyone who doe snot expressly condemns his abject behavior is complicit. End of the story.
9
Frank, I wish your musings are true but reality is that Melania and the Duck are birds of the same feather. Opportunistic, and self centered. They don't have a bone of empathy for the poor or the down trodden. It is sad that 63 million Americans see this phenomena as positive. It only goes to show that, as a nation, we too are very much self-centered and opportunistic.
5
"I’m not sure what to make of that “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” jacket that she wore on her way to a detention center for migrant children in Texas. It’s the “rosebud” of our time. But what if the message was that she didn’t mind if we interpreted her behavior as a rebuke of her husband’s?"
Why exactly do some people work so hard to make her out to be some brilliant, rebellious strategist? Why do some people want to love her, to make even her breathtakingly insensitive moves positive? Why is the bar set so low for her?
15
@bkgal Because she looks beautiful.
1
The First Lady is an emotionally battered wife, who made a spectacularly soul-destroying deal when she married for money and status. Sorry Frank, "great", she is not. Her trolling is somewhat amusing, but her life and marriage seems tragic to me.
10
What garbage. There is nothing noble about this woman. She is aiding and abetting his crimes. The child bully becomes the country's bully and she tries to hide the fact that her husband is the world's biggest bully?
13
Hey Frank. I’m sure you’re thinking this should have been a draft that was deleted - but here it is. I can see the idea of flotus using cyphers to undermine potus is funny and clever. But you did it in a way the denigrated some powerful and effective women who served selflessly and with integrity. She can wear pussy bows until the earth burns, which is happening as we speak because of potus’s insane deregulation of environmental protections, but it won’t save us. If she knows he is mentally ill or demented she should speak up, not wear a white suit - maybe it was a cypher that he needs to be hospitalized? You know, the sexy nurse?
No this piece should not have been published.
13
Mr. Bruni, I urge you to look behind the varnish. in regard to fashion, she wore the pussy-bow in the crux of the Access Hollywood tape scandal. She wore "I don't care do you?" jacket to meet immigrant children detained in concentration-like camps. Let's not forget that she paid 1 million to a consultant and 26 million for ambiguous inauguration services (NYT ran the story https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/us/politics/trumps-inaugural-committe.... She's been compliant in her husband "birther" accusations. And, many other instances which make me question: why did you write this? You might want to read this Atlantic article written by a friend that illustrates how Queens or (in this case, Lady Macbeth) cover for their King's lies and atrocities. Don't fall for it. (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/trumps-medieval-que... I expect more from you,Mr. Bruni, and The NYT. Seems like in an effort to seem bipartisan, you're not offering opinions based on fact, but rather pandering.
11
@annavl. The opinion writers at The NY Times seem to have been given the job of making the Trumps look somewhat normal'or decent. On the day this editorial first appeared the president was named as a co-conspirator in a felony.
11
Didn't she sue some journalistic types before the inauguration because revealing her revealing past would crimp her one-time-only shot at cashing in on being married to the president? Truly a high class poseur, or actually, poser.
5
Characterizing the position of First Lady, Frank Bruni says:
"It’s infantilizing. It’s objectifying. If a presidential administration were a sedan, the first lady would be its hood ornament. If it were a manse, she’d be the topiary bracketing the front stoop."
and,
"Other first ladies beautified highways, promoted reading, planted squash. "
There have been many powerful women who served as First Lady and to trivialize their accomplishments and their influence on the presidents to whom they were married is to display a sorry lack of education on Mr. Bruni's part.
Having perhaps our worst president doesn't conflate to his wife being our greatest First Lady simply because she wears a pants suit and a "pussy bow" and defies him in subtle, often pathetic ways.
12
Unless she has undergone a metaphorical road to Damascus conversion, she's on board with much of what her husband has said and done for years. And her forays into what can only be called gentle chiding have been weak and meaningless.
I was never a big fan of GW Bush's "if you're not with us you're against us" approach to diplomacy and war. But in this case that has to apply to Melania. As long as she restricts her admonitions to idiotic tweets and pussy bows, she is no better than her husband. Whether this is due to fear, retribution, or something else is unknown, and perhaps always will be.
5
She'll have the best book when this is all over.
4
@CMG " when this is all over."
Yes, this is the best, most optimistic take on this disaster of a presidency.
6
In order to be our greatest first lady, she would have to accomplish more than her predecessors. That is an exhilarating fantasy.
8
Sorry Frank, respectfully disagree. If this is the message, then its awfully muted and fraught with poor English. And to go to the African continent to ostensibly "help children" is absurd. I don't think she has much of a mind. And being married to a monster and subscribing to birtherism doesn't help matters either.
10
It's hard to imagine there is any possibility that Mrs. Trump might be brave or historic. I have read that she cuts out flattering articles about her husband. I doubt that she is any different from the rest of the family (Eric, Don, Jr.,etc.). She might be conflicted sometimes but that does not translate into protecting America from the crimes of her husband.
13
Perhaps readers should read the Vanity Fair issue about famous sisters from a few years ago before accusing Melania of being a gold digger vs Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Anyone who attains a level of celebrity-national or international-is no "Mother Theresa", including Mother Theresa. While Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez will probably represent her constituents as well as Bernie Sanders (he is repeatedly re-elected), she will never have to tend bar again. She will be making six figures--more than she's ever made in her life and not have to pay any of it out of pocket for her health care benefits--not so sure about the retirement pension.
7
I've thought for awhile now that she was intentionally poking the bear. The sign on the back of the jacket sealed it for me.
6
She might find him despicable, but she is financially dependent on him, and you can bet she has a pre-nup that would give her nothing if she leaves him. She also has her son to protect, so she is only going to go so far. However, perhaps the salient issue is examining the what the role of the "first spouse" should be in this day and age. To date they have all been women who must give up their personal lives to shore up and glorify their husband's political ambitions. Hillary Clinton was vilified when it was said the nation got "two for one" when Bill was elected because the partner is expected to perform for the nation for free, but not really take any credit for anything. I think it's time to get away from the notion that the partner of the elected President has to subsume themselves to a role as "first....". If they want to fine - if they don't, then that's fine too.
8
I'll bet dollars to donuts that the prenup was renogiated before the campaign. If girlfriend was looking out for herself, that would have been the time to do it.
1
It's nice to think that she could be more than arm candy for a narcissist (to his mind anyway.) It is a sad thing that my hatred of this President has extended to his family as well. Time will tell.
9
I used to like Frank Bruni's columns. This is the most insipid one I have read. I suppose he had a slow news day (hard to believe with what is going on) but this column is really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Also take exception to his denigration of First Ladies. While there have been those who have been low key and some that acted like a Stepford wife, there are several who do not deserve to be lumped in a single sentence of "beautifying highways, etc." The history of the First Lady is a scholarship study in some universities and is "fun" but also complex at the same time. Obviously Bruni hasn't done his homework. And his repeated comments about her attire (pussy bows - women I know don't call them that) and that awful pun at the end of his column is just awful. Go back to writing about straight politics.
41
Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Barbara Bush were three of America's finest first ladies during the decades following the time of Eleanor Roosevelt, in my opinion. Hillary Clinton stuck to Bill and his philandering, slick, self-serving personality in order to gain political power and advantage for herself--it apparently didn't work out very well for her. By the way, I believe Bill Clinton was very good and very effective in his role as President of the United States. Trump was elected to "drain" the swamp that Washington, D.C. had become and he is keeping his campaign promises regarding other issues as well. His strategy in using Twitter in a seemingly irresponsible way is a mystery to me--although as a strategy it certainly gets a lot of attention, so who knows. As to Melania, she may very well be regarded ultimately as a very strong, outspoken, independent, good first lady. I applaud her courage to speak out on her own personal and political convictions. History will tell, as it always has and always will.
2
@Susan McIntyre
Hillary Clinton was responsible for my career as a school Social Worker. She lobbied to pass the law entitling disabled students to a public education. Secondly, she was instrumental in the creation of the CHIP program, to insure that poor children could receive health care. Your depiction of her is very partisan and wrong. I know people who know Hillary Clinton. She is a good and decent person and won the popular vote. She should have been our president.
27
And yet you’re not suggesting that Melania should leave her “philandering, slick, self-serving husband. You say Hillary stayed for political gain. Is that worse than staying for the money?
And by the way, exactly where has the swamp been drained, to date?
4
Perhaps, now that she has got her parents safely into the US, she is willing to play a more active role in her own life?
8
@Jim Wales
through chain migration!
1
Maybe if Trump divorces her, the pre-nup is null and void.
1
This piece is amusing but shockingly fails to compare the attitudes toward Melania Trump to the attacks on Hillary Clinton for sticking with her husband in spite of infidelity. Where are the similar attacks on Melania? In her case she is standing by a despicable human being causing untold misery and suffering everywhere he can accomplish it. Any self-respecting First Lady or woman would have left that marriage long ago. The fact that she sticks with Trump is not something worthy of applause or "greatness". This column is a joke. And US taxpayers get to foot the bill for their separate living arrangements.
29
Because the attacks on Hillary always came from the right. They’re not going to attack the wife of their own hero.
6
I don’t buy your theory Mr. Bruni. Melania Trump, like the Republican Congress and Trump supporters, are all oblivious to Donald Trumps antics which “teeter on the precipice of incoherence,” as you say. Don’t get this twisted.
11
Really, Frank, I’m disappointed in you. It’s difficult for me to believe that YOU believe this silly narrative. Please go higher than this.
30
Um, Abigail Adams, Jacquelin Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Obama ... just to name the ones who immediately come to mind.
31
The difference is that the husbands of those excellent first ladies were good presidents. Trump is by far the worst in the history of this country, and the damage he has already inflicted may well be irreparable. Melania isn't necessarily a good person, but if she can bring down her monstrous husband, she'd go down as a good first lady. I'm far from convinced that this is even possible, however.
10
Just because she's working overtime to stick it to her husband does not mean she is on our side.
We are the little people. She doesn't care, and she wore clothing stating that explicitly. No subtlety involved.
17
Frank Bruni's kidding, right? This is satire, right? Turning a common blouse bow into a political statement, and opining that the infamous "I don't care... " jacket may well have had a hidden meaning is a joke, right? Turning a white pants suit into a Yay for Hillary moment is a joke, right?
But, if this Op-Ed is neither satire nor joke, how easily duped by a woman Frank Bruni can be.
15
was "I don't care, do u?" a statement? if so, what point was she making? u really don't know. was it intentional irony?
2
Frank, I’m sure you’re probably regretting having written this... perhaps move it over to the Onion? ( still love you tho)
18
I really don't care. Do you?
Nuf said.
25
Mr. Bruni, you say "maybe...", and I repeat: not for me. Yes, I like her, AND her work is commendable, but NO, I will not remember her as a suitable First Lady because she broke the #1Rule, which is "Thou Shall Not Take Thy Clothes Off To Make a Buck". And add a penalty, or two, to that, which is to brag about how legal your entry then is into America and chastize the Native populations for their history in America saying: "Come in legally, as I did". No, No, No, Never! The WORST presidential wife, EVER!
12
@BecauseSheSaidSo. Plenty of women with great dignity have taken their clothes off to make a buck. However they weren’t also birthers or people with questionable immigration histories. Plenty of men walk around without shirts to make a buck and we call them movie stars. (Or we call them movie stars who became the governor of California.) Nothing wrong with people taking their clothes off. That’s called making a living, and your moral judgment is, I’m sorry, complete baloney. What Mrs. Trump is doing is something else entirely.
4
"...planted squash," seriously? Just one of the most gracious and erudite First Ladies ever!
29
@Orchidstone Really. Was that insult necessary, Bruni? It didn't work. Quite the opposite. You insulted yourself.
5
I'm looking for the coup de grace - the first lady dumping Trump.
I expect it to happen once he leaves office. But for her to do it while is IN OFFICE - wow, talk about deserting him by the person who should most be backing him.
Michael Cohen turning on Trump would be small potatoes indeed, compared to FLOTUS.
4
Rather than extrapolate on whether she's with or against 45, I would pose this to the beautiful Melania: I do care, don't you?
3
Or how about: I do care - why don't you?
3
@Debra
you're right. Yours is better
No matter what miracle of personal development might hypothetically over take Melania in her last 28 months in the White House (but is at present purely a fantasy of Mr. Bruni) she will never be as great as the First Lady she plagiarized.
28
There is much more to Melania than meets the eye. She has not yet become Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy, or Laura Bush, but she is showing that she may have the potential to become a great First Lady. Who knows? She may become a source of positive influence for our world, which right now is in tatters, with her husband tearing apart our beloved institutions with each nefarious, heartless, and disruptive move. And Rudy Giuliani as a spokesman? A spokesman for evil! Maybe Donald and Melania should trade places--the sooner the better.
1
@Ellen Offner
I fear there is much less to Mrs. Trump than meets the eye. It is why there is so much speculation and projection around her.
6
I will believe that the first lady despises Trump when divorce proceedings are announced.
6
How low a bar and how sad that these are the criteria you would use. This column is such a slap in the face of truly great First Ladies: Dolly Madison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama.
27
Strange how unusually high the bar was set for the last couple who occupied the White House in comparison to how low the standards now seem to be for the current occupants of the White House. Just "act presidential", just don't be as verbally abusive as your husband. Hm.
20
She will divorce him, grab Barron and find a young boyfriend.
Quietly, Barron wants to be far away from his father.
This column is an insult to past First Ladies who used their position to promote positive change for all Americans. If Melania wants out of her marriage, go. To give her credit for wearing a white pantsuit or tuning in CNN -- Frank Bruni, you have lost my respect now and forever.
29
Melania, make a no-nonsense statement, and give us another White House gardening photo of you, this time planting foxglove, oleander, rhododendron, lily-of-the-valley, and nightshade.
16
@Lee You forgot: Hemlock!
15
I suppose many of the commenters below would view Melania's divorcing her husband as highly unlikely, or at least wishful thinking, by those of us who are encouraged by this column. That's too bad. I personally think that Melania can handle a lot of press exposure, based on her history. Her current voice seems to me to be an admirable independence. As to her birtherism comments, I do not recall her role. But possibly she has been learning as she goes, much like the rest of us. Whether it is cynicism or pessimism I see in some of the comments, I don't know, but I hope that Melania can see beyond it. I prefer, "You go, girl!"
2
@Dave R.
Link below to see Melania Trump defending birtherism on tv, in public.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSTx1ZODEcQ
4
I think Melania is every bit a grifter as is trump and "all of his best people". She knew who she was marrying. Who knows what their prenuptial agreement says.
26
@Steve I absolutely agree. Why would she be the exception to everyone else surrounding this guy? There seems to be this need to hope and think maybe Ivanka's different or, maybe it's Melania... or maybe they're in it for themselves just like the rest. "I really don't care do U?"
10
@Sean, Good people do not work for, befriend or marry pathological liars that cheat and cheat on people.
1
"I don't care, do U" was what Trump said to Melania when she complained to him about separating children from their parents, incarcerating them all in internment camps.
So she defied him, and went to visit the victims to show support for them and show her disdain for her husband's policy, adding ironic insult by scrawling on the back of a cheap jacket a statement that was the exact opposite of her sentiment: it was her husband's quote. Of course she cared.
6
@Chris That was a pre-made ZARA jacket, sold by the thousands to young women without Melania's wherewithal. ZARA also is the same company that had to withdraw a kids' T-shirt with a yellow star and black horizontal stripes because they didn't "see" the very obvious association with concentration camp wear! Melania didn't "scrawl" anything creative; she BOUGHT it from a tone-deaf company... just like her!
13
@Debussy Am I to understand the company sells jackets with that exact phrase scrawled on the back? That there are many other jackets for sale across the globe with that quote? I recall news at the time saying she had that quote painted onto the jacket. Were they wrong too?
Leave Melania out of your fight with Trump.
4
Nope. Every First Lady, as a public person, is fair game in the unfair game of politics. That’s just the way it is.
11
Melania Trump has been trolling the American people since she first wore a pussy-bow blouse to the St. Louis debate where Trump invited Bill Clinton accusers to sit in the first row. That was the day after the Billy Bush bus comments about grabbing them by the ...... She has been trolling ever since.
13
Sometimes a blouse is just a blouse.
At least she stopped holding his hand again.
1
Mr. Bruni is a smart and rationale man, who can’t be suspected of being a sympathizer to this administration, in any form.
I read this article despite its over-the-top title only because he wrote it. Even if I am willing to give some benefit of the doubt to the First Lady (I don’t dare to know what’s going on in her head), she is certainly not the greatest one. But with such a baiting title, we can be sure that Trump will read the article. His reaction may be ... interesting!
So my question, who is the primary target of this article? The public, or Trump?
8
Frank, Frank, Frank . . . last week you likened Michael Avenatti to Donald J. Trump, this week you're throwing roses at the feet of the Good Wife. Even if she is being a subtle homewrecker, you must understand by now that the foaming-at-the-mouth crowd doesn't get subtlety. Divorce papers. Now.
6
After writing such a good piece on going to college, how could you write such an infantile column? Our president "needs undermining?" What is the matter with you people?
9
@Mark Savage
The “ matter” of which you speak is known as critical thinking. It’s what most all of us use when buying a used car or choosing a brain surgeon. Just some of us use it when judging the competency of Presidential candidates. I don’t feel we need to feel badly about that. We feel very badly about having to share the process with people who can’t or won’t be responsible with their voting choices. Or even admit to catastrophic miscalculation when their “choice” fails to make the jump from obvious defective incompetency to even barely competent.
4
Well, Mr. Bruni, are you attempting satire? I have nothing against the First Lady, she is what she is. I have wondered how many bruises she has on her body. In other words does the Donald sometimes slaps her hard or actually land a punch with a closed fist? I know, I know it's so easy to love a rich man. I hope she is reasonably happy and poor Baron turns out to be fairly well adjusted. No marriage is perfect or even near perfect. Still, she did sell her soul by sticking with possibly the worse human being on this planet.
9
Yeah, I also thought he might have landed some shots on her when the news broke yesterday.
2
You’re really reaching, Mr Bruni. Melania “could be our greatest First Lady”? Get your head out of whatever cloud it’s stuck in, and read a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt.
22
Mr. Bruni, I’m less concerned with your view on Mrs. Trump, and more with your views regarding the other First Ladies.
You’re entitled to the opinion that Melania is a modern-day Brutus to her husband, but how dare you belittle our First Ladies to merely promoters and squash farmers. You are committing an injustice towards many of the greatest women in United States history.
They deserve an apology for your ignorant and insensitive statement.
25
NO, no and no. Mr. Bruni knows none of this for a fact. Her so-called "signals" may not be trolling at all, just coincidence. She has never given any evidence she understands irony - if anything she has shown a ton of bad judgement - how were we supposed to read that idiotic stunt with the jacket? Any woman who stays married to man who endangers the lives of others, to say NOTHING of the lives of an entire country will never be great at anything, except maybe being a greedy fool.
7
My observation is she is slighting her husband every chance she can. Everyone criticized her for “stealing “ Michele’s speech or dressing like Jakie O ! She has strategicaly done this and he can’t do anything about it ! She is paying him back better than most women who get petty and go for money.
Re: Melania: I really don't care. Do U?
5
What a foolish column. This is the woman, on her way to a flood area wearing jacket saying "I don't care, do you?" Nothing more needs to be said about who Melania is.
9
Whoever wrote the headline has an exceedingly short memory or a terrible sense of humor.
9
Methinks Mr. Bruni might need to take off his rose-colored Gucci sunglasses.
4
We now have broad and deep criminality in the WH that we haven't seen since the 1800's. Great First Lady though.
2
You're stretching it here Frank. Not much substance to this piece.
3
One can only hope she drives him utterly insane....
1
@David That's a VERY short trip, but I don't think she drives.
3
He’s already there
5
Melania will gain my respect when she stops game playing. It appears that she stays married to Trump simply to torture him in not so subtle ways. Not a great example of anything except immature behavior and manipulation, traits we all despise in her husband.
1
Wait, so what about the hundreds and hundreds of
of frightened young children who are STILL separated from their parents and detained in cages in dreadful detention centers?
Didn't Melania promise to help?
Oh that's right, she really REALLY meant it when she said she did not care.
So yesterday it's "Please, No Bullying" and tomorrow it's a jaunt to Africa... just sprinkling her fairy dust everywhere.
My, what a gal, this first lady.
8
@JM,and she doesn't even take Baron on the trip to Africa. Remember how much grief Hillary and Michelle took for taking their young children on travels to foreign countries....from republican know-nothings and fox TV, of course. And then it turned out to be great soft PR for our country, as the 3 girls and 2 moms were superior ambassadors!
9
@karenLaura Bush did Africa in2005 with her daughters. The trip seems to have made an impression because now the family supports projects in Africa. What will come out of Melania's trip. Casinos, resorts or a luxury game preserve where the Trump boys and European royalty can kill elephants.
1
Sorry, Frank, but your piece is little more than an exercise in magical thinking. Melania - an original birther who continues to stand by her man regardless of her other machinations - is merely engaging in behavior that supports and advances the gaslighting strategy of this administration. Her “anti-cyber bullying” platform is among the most obvious examples. She is fully complicit in the movement to destroy the republic. Why is this so difficult for you and others to see?
3
Ah, Frank Bruni, you're such a wonderful agent-provocateur.
5
So many smug commenters. Who have never compromised their principles. I feel for Melania, and really wish her well, and an escape from Trump.
She married a self-promoting quasi-celebrity, fabulously wealthy (fact or fiction), reasonably good-looking NPD, etc., etc. man, who was obsessed with conquering -- one way or another -- beautiful women. He was temporarily drawn to her beauty and trophy wife potential, and then he moved on, craving more attention. She was a beautiful woman caught up in his exaggerated self-world and easily aligned herself with his perceived greatness. She was the good-looking puppet on Charlie McCarthy's knee. His condescension, arrogance, humiliations, sarcasm went up exponentially, when he was elected king of the world. In the beginning, she echoed "birtherism" and anything else he demanded because people with NPD suck the life force out of their "loved ones." She was an easily dominated introvert. While she might not attain greatness on the world stage, she might not save us from him, I think her rage at being objectified is coming to the forefront, and in her own passive -aggressive way, she may just be starting to come into her own. Good for her.
3
So Frank, when Trump starts throwing journalists in jail, has he promised you an exemption if you write something nice about his wife?
5
During the first Million Women's March I saw posters reading "FREE MELANIA!". Perhaps it is time to pronounce "MELANIA, FREE US!".
She would certainly redeem herself if she did.
Is this The Onion? Whatever we may wish to read into her sartorial choices and carefully worded statements from her staff, "Greatest First Lady" she is not.
8
Feelings while reading this piece: confusion, anger, disgust, sadness, and pity (Frank really needs some time off)
15
Frank. You’ve spent too much time looking at Melania’s nude pictures. Grow up.
9
Could be our greatest first lady? For whom?
Bruni is too wise to think we'd fall for that.
She does her snarky, reality stuff on her clothes, says
it all. So clever, but more clever than her bellowing
mate at least.
Oh Frank, c'mon. The greatest? No, just a gold digger in over her head in the life she purchased.
6
Why doesn't someone send Melania a beautifully designed T-shirt that says CHILDREN FIRST and see whether she wears it.
6
Our last two Republican presidents married democrats, remember Barbara and Laura. Evidently Trump did not see the wisdom in that. Well, trying to figure out what makes the Trump marriage work on any level is something the world is not waiting for. But you gave it your best shot and quite frankly, naw!
@CARL E Would love to know what makes the Clinton Marriage work--with all the infidelity in that marriage.
I am sorry Frank, but I do not buy your rehabilitation essay for Melania. In reviewing the three Trump wives, Ivana Marie Zelníčková, Marla Maples, and Melania Knauss, I am struck by their materialistic appetites, their less than enlightened view of the world and themselves, and their paucity of wisdom. I do not doubt that the first spouse finds herself in a rising emotional tide, but it is the price to be paid for entering into a relationship with such a person of no redeeming social value.
Any self-respecting woman with an ounce of intelligence would have ended the relationship with #45 well before accepting his prenuptial agreement.
10
How dare you disrespect the greatness of women like Michelle Obama or Abigail Adams with your click-bait title? I certainly hope Melania is secretly trolling her husband but we need her to be shouting not hinting at these rebukes.
8
Frank, you seriously haven't thought that perhaps she sees the end coming of her husband's reign and needs to play the good cop to salvage what's left of her brand? Or that she has a better PR person than the Grifter in Chief?
Her anti-bullying campaign - you think it all relates to the President's bullying? Not a factor that she is a recipient of cyberbullying? And her son, and that's what upsets her?
Courageous? Her parents just benefited from "chain migration." Why doesn't she stand up and talk about the benefits to families? Do they work? If so, perhaps the benefit to our society and economy? Write an opinion about that, Frank. Her father was a member of the Communist Party - how easy is it for former Communists to become citizens?
The "pussy bow" was not a feminist statement. She wore it right after she supported her husband's Access Hollywood "locker room talk."
I see the same behavior as her husband's - when scandal hits, distract.
6
I am grasping for words as I sit here in shock and anger at Frank Bruni searching so hard for evidence of Melania Trump's rebellion-by-sartorial-metaphor. I don't know if I've ever seen such tortured, self-defeating intellectual contortions, like watching someone stand on his head to punch himself in the face.
As columnist Dan Savage said, the First Lady is "as ugly on the inside as she is pretty on the outside." The blank-eyed hostess of this nightmare of a reality show only deserves, like the administration she represents, sustained, detailed criticism - their agenda, their anti-bullying campaigns, are "fruit of a poisonous tree" - they cannot be legitimized.
At best, Melania Trump is vapid and self-serving; at worst, she believes in what her husband is doing. Given that she's a master at self-presentation, I'm going to guess that she's not stupid, and that she's fully in support of transforming our government into a thinly veiled mafia operation. She's looking after herself well - she doesn't need your help, Frank Bruni.
14
Is this column a joke? Melania was, in her younger days, a model, whose nude pictures are all over the internet. Clearly, she married Trump for money, whether or not she may have also "liked" him. She has done virtually nothing as First Lady, nor has she ever done anything that might qualify as public service during her entire life. Who will ever forget her jacket which had those nasty words on the back .... "I don't really care, do you?"....This on a woman who knows exactly at least what she is wearing at any given time. Her parents are now US citizens, thanks to "chain migration" that her dear husband wants to get rid of. The less I hear about her the better. She is no more than arm candy.... I have more respect and regard for Stormy Daniels.
9
@Vicki, and what was up with the month or close that she spent in walter reed after some supposed routine test? Multiple spa days? a little psychotherapy? some plastic surgery?
2
Treating a black eye?
1
"Melania the Savior. " Huh? Really? Melania intentionally "objectified" herself decades ago, when she MARRIED this greedy oaf. IF Melania had ANY claim to dignity, she'd DIVORCE him NOW. But, of course, that won't happen because she prays to the Almighty Greenback as well! Don't envision windmills where there's aren't any.
7
This woman supported the birtherism movement. She has NEVER stood up for a single marginalized person. To somehow spin her jacket into anything other than a disgusting message to the public is a TERRIFIC reach. This is just one hugely bad take. Plz delete.
10
This article is offensive to all the great First Ladies our country had.
18
Oh, please spare us such ridiculous ideas in our brains. Trump, his family and cronies have left our minds stressed and confused and insulted enough as is it You do such an injustice to the fine First Ladies like Lady Bird Johnson and Michele Obama. Who really showed up and did such good!
Melanie was raised under a Communist regime and lives with a gap between her core values and Democracy's elements.
She is also clueless, reading a script about cyber-bulling as her Husband bullies and barrels through valuable norms. Enough.
8
Here is the only thing she can do to make a statement on her sorry excuse for a husband. Leave him and file for divorce.
1
She should be called Lady Melania as a sign of respect and independence in contrast to her crude husband -- in fact his vocabulary is running low on foul epithets, so useful to him in the Art of the Bully. She has courageously but quietly taken stands against such bullying (online and in person); awkwardly but firmly supported keeping families together vs. Donald's border kidnapping, a potential Crime Against Humanity; stood strong during the many accusations of his infidelity; and keeps her increasingly unbalanced hubby at a discrete distance.
1
I would LOVE for this to be true. Having seen his "fixer" Cohen become his latest and most prominently dangerous critic, Trump must be raging. His tweets suggest some anger (as usual), but I guess it's suppressed. So he's in a bad mood following a high profile "betrayal", and the idea that the First Lady - whose parents, let's not forget, are now US citizens - is trying to pursue some kind of resistance movement against Trump is a delicious prospect.
Yes, her actions and demeanor could certainly be interpreted in such a way, but I fear this really is wishful thinking. I don't think she would dare risk being a factor in the ruination of her husband (though God knows she could) - apart from anything else, she knows, better than anyone, that his unpredictability could ruin her and her son's lives for decades to come. She's too smart for that (she is clearly smarter than her husband, but that is a VERY low bar).
But, as I said, I would love for this to be true, and I think she needs to be encouraged and emboldened by a wise (and thus Trump-opposing) figure from within the GOP to distance herself ever more from this ongoing disaster. Then we may actually start respecting her in a way that she may already merit.
1
If she really did have principles she would divorce Trump now! But, no, she won't. She married him for money, is a prostitute in many ways for marrying a person like Trump purely for the money and is staying in the union because of some agreement, legal or otherwise, between them.
If I recall, even in the Art of the Deal, she describes Trump as a man-baby. She has supported Trump's positions all along, birtherism, etc. If your theory is correct, what was with the jacket saying "I don't care" when she visited the immigrant centers?
Perhaps, Melania has had enough but is still tied into Trump legally so she actions are her only way of maintaining her sanity. But don't put Melania up on a pedestal, she is blackened as much as the GOP is by Trump's dark and corrupt ways. Melania is no saint.
4
The most important thing Melania could do would be to file for divorce while Trump is in office. That said, she'd better get moving!
3
Melania Trump is fecklessly complicit. Please stop feeling sorry for her - she is an adult and if she is as miserable as everyone seems to think she is, then she can leave - no pre-nup leaves either spouse without sufficient assets to live in the lifestyle attained during the marriage.
4
I suspect her goals are twofold: (1) Get under Trump's skin so he goes so bonkers that everyone, even his base, will dump him; and (2) force him to ask for a divorce rather than her. Then she can call the shots as to the Divorce Agreement. She's no dummy.
5
What kind of mature grown woman with a potential for greatness uses cryptic messaging to tangle with her husband on a world stage? If that is what she is doing.
2
An interesting theory of things. Sure would redeem some of the last two years for the US if it were true. But honestly if it was even possible we would have seen signs of the intelligence necessary to do these things long ago. I think the "I don't care. Do you?" jacket put to rest once and for all any questions of her moral integrity.
She's and old world girl who made good by using what she had and knew how to use. Hers is undoubtedly an old fashioned contract marriage for purposes of El Trumpo maintaining his self made image of being a "ladies man" and gave her financial security for life.
I think the facts make him out to be more like the Tim Meadows SNL character than what he wants us to believe.
3
Melania's wardrobe is without political intent. . .consider her jacket with the caption "i don't care" on the back.
Pussy-bow, I don't care, 4 inch heels. . .whatever.
She will be the best 'First Lady' when 10 pigs dance a kasatski.
7
Many wise and probing columns, Frank. I’ve come to depend on your insight and perspective.
This is an embarrassment, however. If intended to be funny, you fail. If you really think Melania has any role, you fail. And you reveal something regrettable with the emphasis on pussy bows. Grow up!
4
She's heading to Africa to highlight the dramatic progress his Administration has made with African Americans in unemployment and giving them hope vs. the despair they've become used to under 50 years of Democratic Party rule.
If the media won't cover these successes here, including his doubling of African American and minority support in our urban cities...maybe they'll cover Melania with the pussy bow the author seems to be obsessed about.
Me thinks Frank needs to get out more often, or get a pussy cat to satisfy his fixations.
1
Please-
Stop it.
Melania Trump sold herself when she married Trump - she knew what she was getting into but damn, that money sure was attractive.
Who needs ethics, class, morality when you can buy a 6 figure jacket?
The world has seen her kind before - spineless ,weak creatures running frantically behind the person with the purse, willing to turn a blind eye to every heinous, despicable action that the purse holder commits as long as their own lifestyle never has to change.
This lady has been bought and paid for- isn't there an impolite word for her kind?- and not worthy of anyone's respect.
2
If some referred to Michelle Obama's statements as pussy-bowing coups, he would be vilified as a misogynist. I guess that doesn't apply when writing about Melania Trump. does it Mr. Bruni?
1
You do know that it's a fashion term, right?
1
Yes, but within the verbiage of our president, words often mean their exact opposite. And Frank’s a bit too fixated on it, don’t you think?
Frank, you have a tender heart and we adore you for that , but Melania does not deserve your tenderness !
Let`s not forget , yes trump cheated on her multiple times, but Melania who was a model in her birthday suit , cheated on trump`s then wife and married him willingly.
So don`t cry for Melania, America , she is a survivor with her pussy-bow intact what ever the inherent meaning of pussy bow is !
6
I haved thought for a long time that Melania is making her own statements about the President. She has travelled to see where the children, separated from their parents, are being kept. And her jacket was asking us whether we care.
She put on her "pussy bow" after the "Grab their pussy" remarks. And coincidentally (?) her parents became citizens through "chain migration." I think she has more guts than we have given her credit for.
4
"I urge that visit to James’s school. Bring Don Lemon along. I suggest lunch dates with Maxine Waters, Aperol spritzes with Angela Merkel and pajama parties with Nancy Pelosi. And pussy bows and pantsuits for days on end."
Melania for President...if only...darn it, she wasn't born here. She probably isn't even here legally. Still, I'd vote for her. If anyone...anyone at all is leading the resistance...sorry Chuck Schumer...it's Melania. Here's hoping she knows how to drive Donald right over the edge.
It will only take a little push...nothing like the one at Moulton Falls.
I wonder if Melania takes special assignments? There's a majority leader in the Senate that needs an attitude adjustment when she's done with Donald.
VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS
1
No no, no, no, no.
I admire you’re optimism, but there are other reasons in the news to be optimistic for our democracy.
She is a horrible person like the rest of them.
If she truly cared about children and the things she says, why the silence and inactivity about the southern border?
And saying she might be the best First Lady is quite the insult to those that preceded her, pussy-bow notwithstanding...
I do enjoy your columns and always delight in your lovely phrases.
1
Mr. Bruni, you're a coward not to print my earlier comment that you would be deemed a misogynist if you dared to call Michelle Obama a pussy-bower if she made a so called "pussy-bower coup". Your fellow Liberals would be coming at you with pitch forks.
1
At least Mr. Bruni uses his full name. And just for the record, he doesn’t decide which comments get published, so your accusation of cowardice is misplaced.
Fat chance in Hell!
3
I've been wondering if the pre-nup gives Melania an out, with substantial money, if evidence comes to light that her scum-bag husband impregnated another woman during the time they were "married." If so, this could be what the scum-bag fears the most.
"Pussy bow."
I didn't know what that was until Melania Trump wore one, and the term was explained to everyone on the planet. But is she trolling Donald Trump by wearing one?
I think not. If anything, she's trolling Ivanka and her shoddy, sterile clothing line. Take that, object-of-my-husband's-lust.
3
My god you're an idiot. The epitome of fiddling while Rome burns.
2
You give her too much credit. They make a perfect couple - pussy cat bow blouse and all.
2
"I urge that visit to James’s school. Bring Don Lemon along. I suggest lunch dates with Maxine Waters, Aperol spritzes with Angela Merkel and pajama parties with Nancy Pelosi. And pussy bows and pantsuits for days on end. They’re the threads of a revolution."
Nah, here's the equivalent of the attack on Fort Sumter: She has lunch with Colin Kapernick.
2
If Michelle Obama wore the same Blouse would the NYTIMES Frank Bruni, have said that,"the First Lady , again with a Pussy bow? How derogatory can you get about a woman's clothing! How absolutely disgusting and chauvinistic!
2
Pussy-bow trolling is not enough. Melania Trump has to take some giant steps for mankind and the American public befpre she gets my respect.
2
Maybe Melania is just mocking pussy-bows. Maybe Melania just really does not care as long as she can be with power. Just another Republican who does not care about women's rights, civil rights, health care, kidnapped children and the racism of the Republican party's silence.
1
I finally figured out the main (there are several) reasons this article makes me so angry.
It's as if Bruni thinks women's agency is limited to throwing 'coups' with pussy-bows. As if they can't truly speak out. Get divorces. Be truly strong and independent. He is giving her an utter pass as she stands by Trump and guts out country.
And it's as if Melania might be the 'greatest First Lady' because he thinks she's the most attractive first lady and therefore gives her credit for her weird little baby 'coups.'
It's such an insult to the intelligent talented women who came before her.
5
Sorry, Mr. Bruni. But there's no way I can agree with you on this one.
Just because Mrs. Trump wears a 'pussy-bow' blouse and occasionally comes out against her husband, isn't nearly reason enough to think she may be Our Greatest First Lady Ever ... not even in jest.
As for that "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?" jacket -- I don't really care.
All I know is if Michelle Obama ever pulled a stunt like that, Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican cabal would waste no time in setting the White House on fire.
So, Sorry Mr. Bruni. This revolution will have to wait.
Nice try though.
4
Has Frank Bruni lost his mind? Wearing a "pussy-bow" or a "I really don't care, do u" jacket simply show poor taste in clothing. How can anyone elevate these hapless choices to mean that she is showing spine to her husband and is actually doing anything as first lady other than wearing a different and expensive outfit every day?
Be Best is a rather poor choice of words and what does it actually mean? It's a ridiculous term and grammatically non-sensical. If she truly cared about children she would have met with the children incarcerated in cages in detention centers rather than meeting with ICE agents asking the question "How can I help". If she truly cared about children she should be doing something for the several hundred children that are still separated from their parents. Taking a trip to Africa to do what? If Bruni thinks this is throwing shade at her husband there are many other was to do this without it costing the tax payers millions of dollars for the flight, the security, the hotels and photo ops. She is as good as her husband at the art of distraction by doing meaningless, not newsworthy, photo ops. I just wish she would stay in the WH and be very quiet because when she opens her mouth nothing of interest comes out and her continued defense of her husband is deplorable.
1
Frank , there's no way Melania can compare to a first lady like Eleanor Roosevelt or even Michelle obama , whose speech she literally adopted as her own . Pussy bows mean nothing when she's married to the biggest bully in America . If she would divorce him now then maybe one could say she's got a right to wear her pussy bow and prove her status as an independent woman . So wearing all the pussy bows in her collection are meaningless .
2
Look, Melania does have a chance to be a great first lady, because it takes a lot of moxy to leave home travel halfway around the world and become a model.
It is not easy. It takes a lot of determination and ambition. She apparently speaks five languages and is intelligent.
And she is in a delicate spot, because what can she really do? She is going to be vilified regardless.
I read an article about her on an international dating site that has a lot of good points about her background. I tried to give the link, but I don't think the NYT liked it. But it sounds like Bruni read this article" "Here’s Why Melania Trump Will Be a GREAT First Lady" at site called International Love Scout. If you want to learn more about why she might actually be a great first lady that is the place to start.
The only real way she can redeem her business-like decision to be the crassest of gold diggers is to flat-out dump Trump -- which would mean dumping the prenup too -- but by doing so she would reclaim her soul and become a true hero to tens of millions of women and forward-thinking men. And it would probably drive King Leer totally over the edge, once and for all.
2
If she really wanted to make a strong statement against Trump and his policies, she would divorce him and leave the White House for good.
3
I love what Mr. Bruni is pitching... but it sounds more like fantasy. Melania Trump has just one thing in common with her husband: she is motivated by self-interest. What else can you say about any woman who happily became this man's 3rd wife? I would love the Hollywood movie version Melania coming into her own–clearly some actress would win an Oscar. But in real life, I think MJ is far more likely to do whatever it takes to get the biggest divorce settlement possible and sole custody.
2
It is obvious to me that she can't stand the man yet she is still with him. Has she sold her soul for the money? The power? The only act that she could perform for me to take her seriously is to dump him. That would have real teeth.
1
I'm sure knew EXACTLY what she was marrying at the time and she chose to say yes to it.
Enough said.
2
This seems wishful thinking on Mr. Bruni’s part.
It seems pretty clear that she has gone through life untroubled by a single serious thought.
She cares about her physical appearance; her net worth; her perks and privileges; and her wardrobe.
2
I don't think that Melania does the things she does to thwart her husband. She is simply acting in accordance with the rules of normal society, which by their very nature would contradict the words and actions of Donald. I think that she tuned Donald out years ago and is unaware that her actions probably drive him up the wall.
See RevolutionOfReason.com
1
Melania has accomplished her primary goal, I believe, in enabling her parents to become citizens. Her most troublesome predicament is maintaining adequate care and education for her son. When the future of her son is secure she can more aggressively voice her opinions.
If she refuses her « wifely « intimacy djt may become unhinged enough to get himself into trouble from which he cannot extricate himself.
If after all that has happened this week if the Americans still give a majority to GOP they should be impeached.
It's entirely possible that you are over-analyzing Melania, Mr. Bruni. Perhaps she just has an intelligent spokesperson, as her husband has "handlers" who try - not very successfully however - to make him look good.
I have serious doubts about the intelligence or integrity of anyone who would be attracted to Trump enough to marry him. Money talks, but that loudly?
2
For a long time I have pondered how the First Lady could deal with the continuing humiliation.
Your column suggests I might be confusing the humiliator with the humiliatee.
1
I don't hold Melania Trump in high regard. No one believes that she ever loved her husband and his vulgarity and infidelity were well known when they married.
She made a calculated decision to trade on her sexuality to procure the material advantages that he could provide. We have a word for that.
5
I'm afraid I really don't see the humor in this heavy-handed satire about a clotheshorse who's never done jack for anybody, who pretty much snuck into the country and snuck her parents in, who provided Trump with cover throughout the campaign and since, and who's going to cash out on her marriage at some point.
And I do not care what she "signals."
She packs a pack, grabs the kid, and stomps out the door some bright morning, trailing cusswords, check with me again. But until then, not a chance.
1
IMHO, if she had any style of her own, once she realized he would move his crooked ways in business into the Presidency, she would have left him. She did not. And she has sat by quietly for almost two years while he wreaks havoc with our nation. Frank - I usually agree with you. Not here. She has been an exponent against bullying. She has a son who is now old enough to appreciate how his own father operates, in a criminal and vicious manner. Staying endangers her son.
Now that she got her parents citizenship, if she really has what you claim, now is the time to leave and expose him to the world. I doubt she has that kind of toughness. And in the process, her son Barron might turn out just like other Trump kids, second rate rich kids like Minnie Don and his sister.
In any event, time will tell.
2
Oh come on. She isn't even a lady let alone a great First Lady.
5
I couldn’t read the article just based on the headline. I read the headline and was disgusted. We have a President who is accused of breaking the law and Republicans spinning everything and this is published. Poor timing and poor taste.
1
Maybe it’s true, but hard to be grateful to her considering she has enabled this person. I feel like - we the people are relegated to the role of the adoring public ( the people of the Trump Kingdom) who are so thankful to the “queen” for throwing us some bread crumbs!
2
No she is not. The great First Ladies are people like Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama who used their public platform to make the world a better place. Melania has done nothing but make a few statements about bullying. She supported the birther movement, she has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars by deciding to stay in NY for six months, and her escapes to Mar a Lago. She was never involved in charitable activities in NY before his election. She lied about her educational background, and plagiarized Michelle's speeches. She is vapid, cold and calculating. Nothing to admire there.
5
She's an OG birther who has repeatedly gone out in public wearing fascist slogans like a billboard. With so much going on why is the NYTimes wasting real estate on this drivel? She isn't some freedom fighter. She's a racist grfiter in a family of racist grifters. If anyone is getting trolled by her it's America. Fascist apologia like this should never have made it to print and the Times should be ashamed.
2
I think Russian trolls hacked the Times and wrote this. Otherwise Frank needs help. Melania and Donny are a grifting team. She’s no better than he is. She’s an ignorant, narcissistic, criminal just like her husband.
1
Are you serious, Frank? If you are, it's time to find another profession.
3
I’m sorry, but Ms Trump has shown herself to be nothing more than a vacuous twit whose main concern in life is how she looks.
1
After reading Bruni and some of the comments, the thought struck me: Could she sue for divorce and win? After all, he's the sitting president and, supposedly, immune from criminal prosecution. How interesting it would be to see this debated and then battled in court!
1
I suspect Mr. Bruni is trolling Trump with this column. I am quite sure it is not in Melania to be a "greatest first lady." You really want me to believe she married Trump because she was in love? Really? She may be sorry now, but that doesn't change the facts.
3
She was a model. Then she became Donald Trump's third wife, sleeping with him while he was still with wife #2. She gave a speech and plagiarized Michele Obama.
That is as great as it gets. You are waiting for nothing to happen.
5
“Pussy bows” used twice in this short article? Is it necessary for Frank Bruni to insult a woman’s clothing to make his point? I don’t trust anything about Melania Trump but would he write this way about a man? How about “penis ties”?
Bravo - - you GO Melania - - show that MORON you're married to who, the REAL boss is in the Trump family.
I look forward to Special Counselor Mueller escorting DJT out of the White House in handcuffs - - # LOCK HIM UP!!
Trolling is not a courageous act. If she were interested in bettering the world by ending bullying, she could speak out against the vile spewed by her disgusting husband. She’s stood by him while he’s incited crowds to commit violent acts, disparaged women, mocked the disabled and the list goes on.
Worse even is that his policy has kidnapped children and babies from their parents’ arms. And we’re supposed to admire her for wearing a jacket? or a pussy bow blouse?
She knew what she married when she was joined to that piece of fiilth and she was content to sit under the radar when her spouse espoused birtherism and other lies. Fact is she’s no Eleanor Roosevelt and her legacy should be no different than that of her mate.
3
Quit publishing these puff pieces NYT. You are a Trump asset.
2
John Kerry's foreign born wife would have made a great First Lady. Republican voters didn't like her accent and considered her too exotic. Petulant snits by a pampered spouse in a pussy bow who is at war with her husband do not make one great.
After the message on her Zara jacket Melania is irrelevant. She should just disappear. No Melania, I really don't care. About U
The headline is an insult to all former First Ladies.
3
The eternal vacuum of Melania's spotless mind must be a maddening thing for a pundit to contend with. Cleverly iffing on the significance of a pussy bow and other slim pickings Bruni might have made this work a work of satire. Alas, this is not that.
There's no first lady here. Melania is exactly who she seems to be, someone who has sold herself for money. She never thought in a million years she would end up as the wife of the president of the United States and she has no idea how to do this job.
Her indefatigable ability to smile radiantly through botox is her greatest achievement and an admirable one if you like that sort of thing, and it seems many do. If she can manage to maintain that in the heat of what's coming, she'll be OK no matter what happens to her husband.
That's it. Nothing to see here that we haven't seen for millennia.
6
I think it's most charitable to say the role of First Lady is a job, and some women are better suited to the job than others.
I think Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton were the two women in the last century who seized the opportunity most assertively and creatively. If a fashion pun such as "pussy bow" is the criterion for greatness, then Melania Trump might qualify.
However, I context Melania in the role of mothers everywhere who must deal with husbands and sons who admire and emulate Mr. Trump's twitterish invective. Is a change of fashion choices their most suitable feminist and parental response? Isn't "trolling" at bottom just passive aggressive?
I prefer women who stand up and speak out. I prefer women who charter international governance or wonk out health care. Melania seems content to look pretty (if her style of glamor is appealing to you) and dress wealthy, slur through bromide speeches and otherwise remain in the shadows.
She's hardly a first rank First Lady. She's just a disaffected and entrapped spouse waiting for the legally optimal time to get a divorce.
3
She might be absolutely brilliant at trolling her husband but please do not suggest in your heading that she may be our greatest first lady, That is stupid click-bait. She really does nothing of merit or significance in her role. She may use her role to troll Donnie, but still, no form or substance to it. Plus it is absolutely ridiculous and shameful to suggest such a thing on the footsteps of Michelle Obama. Like her or not, her accomplishments do not measure up at all.
1
Melania the greatest first lady? The connections Frank Bruni draws are mostly ridiculous over-reaching. I suspect Melania isn't happy in her marriage, and may occasionally let that show publicly, but that doesn't make her a great first lady. She has supported her husband in spite of his continuous lies, malicious behavior toward people of color, immigrants and their children, and his clear lack of concern for disadvantaged Americans. She has plagiarized and appears nearly robotic in public. Not a good role model for the children she claims to champion.
2
Oh cut it out Bruni. Don't you have anything worthwhile to write about?
3
Melania
time to go back to NYC
Cohen's plea is a humiliation for you and Barron
Be Best
leave the lying cheater
Protect your son, not your lifestyle
4
At least I learned something new. I’d never heard of a “pussy bow.” I best remember Melania as a willing partner in her husband’s 5-year-long birtherism campaign.
2
No, sorry Frank. She is complicit with her husband on promulgating the racist "birther" myth. Whatever ruin befalls Donald, Melania deserves a fair portion of that hell as well.
https://youtu.be/sSTx1ZODEcQ
1
Did Frank Bruni just polish off a case of Trump wine? Or was it shared with his colleagues? I suspect Mrs. Trump's independent thinking, kinder, gentler image comes from the same twitter room that crafts Mr. Trump'stweets(at his direction) The difference, may be that hers have a pay-out attached. In Trump world, everything is transactional. Why should Mrs. Trump be an exception? In this week's news article about Mrs. Trump, the laudatory email to the Times praising her intelligence, integrity, and modulating influence on our president comes from a friend whose husband happens to be a best friend and advisor of the president. In the interest of good journalism, why didn't the Times note this? And Mrs Trump's alternative tweet about LeBron, coming strategically after the President's negative tweet, timed to the President's speech in Ohio where even the base is pro-LeBron, was calculated to give the press a diversion to comtemplate. Praise Melania for being a shrewd business woman--she's mastered both the art of the deal and its source, note her carefully calculated political dressing, including those pussy-cat bows, acknowledge that she's outmaneovered Stormy and Karen and Omarosa, but don't portray her as an independent first lady. In Oz, remember there's a wizzard behind the curtain and this one pulls the purse strings.
2
"It’s a ludicrous job. You’re supposed to make a difference without making waves, find a passion while veiling your convictions and smile blithely through a ceaseless forensic examination of your every accessory. It’s infantilizing. It’s objectifying."
This, right here.^^ It explains Hillary, both people's love for her (me) and people's hate for her.
And I can not wait to see how a man deals with it.
1
No more fawning articles about this woman - please.
9
Please stop with all the projecting onto Melania all the traits she has never shown in her entire adult life. As my mother always said, “Actions speak louder than words “. She is a model of limited abilities, a gold digger who married a wealthy older man, plagiarized her first major speech and then lied about it, visited a detention center wearing the infamous “ I don’t care ...” jacket. It is pathetic that this is who the columnist thinks will bring down the President.
Journalist should do their jobs, Congress should do its job, the voters should do their job...that’s the solution. Let Melania be what she is and has always been. I would be happy to never see her and her pussy bows in the NYTimes again.
9
What a stupid article based on nothing and what's this fascination with "pussy bows" which I've never ever heard of and don't even think really exist.
3
Pointing out that first ladies’ wardrobe choices are intensely scrutinized while scrutinizing Melania’s Pussy bows and and pantsuits is ironic.
Dumbest headline I’ve seen in a while. Maybe the dumbest op-ed I seen not written by Bret Stephens. Melania is a cardboard cutout.
1
What a waste of tree and print, and my time for even to deign to read this rubbish. Two words Mr. Bruni: Eleanor Roosevelt.
6
Exactly... this type of trolling is beneath the Times.
Ah, the irony of it all. Trump, a documented misogynist, is taken down by a porn star, a Playboy bunny, and a former nude model. Hell has no wrath like a gang of women scorned.
3
The fact that this woman married Donald Trump, is all we have to know about Melania.
No one with an ounce of sense could believe that she chose to visit Africa. Her staff thought the trip up; picked out the places to go and the things to do. All with the notion that the First Lady (it surely is the time to retire the word "lady," at this point) will swan about, elegantly pussy-bowed, accessorized and shod, sweetly mouthing pablum that will somehow make her husband look presidential. Or at least less nuts.
What on earth have you been smoking, Mr. Bruni?
3
She is just as disgusting as her husband and a birther . Your worship of her is gross.
2
I agree with many of the comments, she chose to marry a despicable man and she got what she deserved. She’s most likely very similar to the entire, rotten Trump clan- narcissistic, greedy, arrogant, and shallow. But heroes in real life don’t need to be perfect, like in the movies. Maybe just maybe, Melanie is all of these things but just not to the same depraved degree that DJT and his crew are. Let’s hope Frank is right, and she’s a bad person of weak character who saw how awful the world she made for herself was, and she made the bold choice and did something about it. And besides, think of how much money she can make writing a tell all. Prenup and nda be damned.
2
Rather than attempt a pussy bow coup, I think the White House dress corps was aiming for a version of 1950s Mamie Eisenhower respectability so desired by Melania Trump’s admirers. A fellow NYT commenter has referred to Mrs. Trump as our First Mannequin, and that is more to the point in this superficial age. Speaking of superficial, Mr. Bruni: the entire article seems to be, well, not your best.
4
@ReggieM, a friend refers to Melania as a cyborg.
1
I thought this article was satire. Unfortunately, it's not. Give me a break. Melania Trump and greatness? That's a oxymoron with an emphasis on moron. Come on Bruni, you are really grasping at straws here and straws have been banned across the world!
1
I believe that the family of the President needs to be Neutral ground. Unless they play a role in governing, such as son Don Jr. and daughter and son in law do as advisors.
So I wish Melania and son well, and welcome the deserved criticism of the others.
4
@tom She was a birther. I agree that Baron should be off-limits -- he's a child. But there's no need to protect Melania.
1
“Our greatest First Lady.” Goodness, what a miss match of the word “greatest.” Compared to who? How has she impacted our nation, women, girls? A role model to whom? Staying mumb to all the craziness of her husband? Trolling him? Examples of great First Ladies or great wome are not those who troll their spouses. Are these the standards that define greatest— Mr. Bruni don’t you have something more important to write about? The personalities we need to read about right now because of darkness in our society right now are people who can exemplify, truth, integrity, and human decency.... write about them, talk about them, point them out. Unfortunately, no one in Trump’s family is an example to be emulated...at least thus far. Melania is having her cake and eating it — in luxury to boot. Very, very far from being the “greatest First Lady” of this nation.
4
Ooooh so much subtlety.... but how about a simple divorce? This would definitely be a massive coup. Ah, but then the financial repercussions might hurt a bit. Mrs Trump as a knight in shining armor to save us all ? Please.
2
"Melania Trump Could Be Our Greatest First Lady"
Oh, please. Melania made her bargain. She's welcome to it. It's a waste of a life, but what kind of life was it?
2
This column promotes the same elitist privilege and protected distance from reality and consequence that constitute the Trump's worldview and their egocentric spouting of whatever occurs to them to say out loud.
Worse, it wastes time and editorial space on what was perhaps meant to be humorous fantasy when in reality, there's truly no time and space to waste.
Do better Frank - you have the aptitude and ability to be helpful during this critical time.
7
She married him, and until she leaves she is supporting the man he represents. Just like that nazi guard that was deported yesterday, he may just stood there and watched 6000 humans get shot, she is equally complicit to the actions of her husband by association. Its optimistic she is a mole in her husbands government trying to undermine his misogamy and other evils.
2
There are women all over this country who have skills and achievements far beyond posing, sometimes naked, for a camera. And every day those women do more for their country and their communities than any Trump woman (or man) has ever done. Celebrate those women, not the phonies attached to this horrible administration.
6
Oh for God's sake, knock yourself out with this intended dramatic salivating commentary. You've been after Pres.Trump from the get go and I hear from people that they don't care anymore. Melania Trump is not going to follow your dreams and hurt her husband. She is an excellent person in so many ways.
All of this hive-like behavior from the Times makes me support our President even more!
1
You are far too generous, not to mention creative, here, Frank. For the most part, we choose partners who reflect our own selves, our hopes and dreams. This woman chose a fully-formed narcissist, racist, bully and complete jerk; she knew exactly what she was getting into and she did it for the security status and money bring. It's an old story. Stop reading the tea leaves, Frank. "A walk through the oceans of her soul would scarcely get your feet wet." ( 'Deteriorata' by National Lampoon).
3
Melania who speaks at least three languages, is way smarter than her husband. She got her family safe harbor in the USA through chain-migration. She can give her twit of a husband the heave-ho any old time she wants now.
2
@Frederick Almost everyone in Europe, especially Eastern Europe, speaks three languages. This isn’t a sign of superior intelligence or education. It’s a necessity.
@RP I don't like her, but she probably is smarter than her husband.
Give me a break. What has Melania done on her cyberbullying project between Nov. 2016 and now? How could she marry such a person if she had one shred of integrity.
No, Melania knows that Trump is going down and she's among the rats jumping ship. She's in a position to use the resources of the US Government to enhance her image and create a brand, so that she will be marketable after her husband's assets are seized for money-laundering and other crimes.
1
Just stop it Mr. Bruni. She is in on the deal with her husband. This is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. She is the worst First Lady ever!
4
We are so desperate for an escape from our long national nightmare that even our esteemed columnists are indulging in fantasy!
1
Melania Trump: Julia Ioffe 'Provoked' anti-Semitic Death Threats
'I don't control my fans,' wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee says after Jewish journalist faces abuse from Trump fans.
7
To whom else has the NYT devoted so many column inches, in the absence of any contribution of any kind to anyone?
Oh yeah, Javanka.
Maybe let these family members of a grifter make some news, instead of making nothing into something?
4
Have you been drinking the trump kool aid? Are you just agitating about the Melania without portfolio? This pathetic woman and her own flock of misbegotten “advisers” has done Nothing to help immigrants, incarcerated children, the outrages of cyberhate. Tell me you are kidding. Despite her feeble dissent about trump and his posse, the Fact is she has accomplished zilch in her role of mrs trump. She is as complicit and selfish as all trump women, daughters and ex wives included. No graphic jacket with motto, no white Hilary’s pant suit, and no other so-called fashion can be decoded to show mrs trump as a dissenter to the WH debacle. She’s a prop, and I guess they are shipping her to Somewhere in Africa, a big continent, not a country. Farewell mrs. Trump, you have no idea how evil your clueless acts really are.
3
Mr. Bruni.........”I don’t care”. No matter how you parse that,there is no grace, no wisdom no cunning just one more “Trumpism” about being a Trump and changing the news cycle back to guess what, Trump. When people tell you who they are the first time, listen, you have been conned.
7
She is a BIRTHER, period. No need to devote any stories to her.
4
Dream on, if you wish. Melania seems more poised to spread her husband's message of hate. "I don't really care," she proclaimed clearly as she visited Trump's victims of family separation. She wore high heels to visit flood victims. What will she wear in Africa to offend the people? She seems to have no influence on Trump's cyber-bullying, which could make a mockery of her anti-bullying message, giving Trump even more power in his efforts to dehumanize. I'm staking no hope in Melania.
3
To really be America's heroine, she needs to do 3 thing first:
1. Talk to Mueller without telling Donnie. Tell him everything she knows
2. Publicly separate/divorce the thug she is married to
3. Publish her memoirs - it would be the bombshell book of the decade
Perhaps this is what she has already planned.
Ironic, just yesterday we had two of trumps admirers, one who would take a bullet for him, the other who glorified trump during the campaign for the presidency. Now, one is convicted and on his way to jail, the other spilling his guts to save his soul, if he has one.
Can Melania, who lives the life of luxury on trumps dime, a staunch defender of her husband, despite the extramarital affairs during her pregnancy, finally show some resistance to trumps irrational behavior? Is Melania willing to go further, risking the security so accustomed to? Tough call lady, tough call,
There's no point in dissecting their marriage or her motives. It's all speculation. About the only thing we know for sure is there's quite a bit of dysfunction in the Trump WH.
5
I was ready to jump on the Frank-you’ve-lost-your-mind bandwagon. But then the history of women with ostensibly little power came to mind.
Bringing down a husband, for whatever transgressions, personal or political, is time honored & wickedly effective. Catherine the Great & Queen Isabella come to mind. And I’m sure I’m forgetting a courtesan or two from France or China.
In any case, Frank’s idea isn’t so far fetched, is it?
It's probably a media game he's asked her to play long with. Good cop - bad cop. He sees her as his salvation. My favourite MT example of insubordination is the slapping away of his creepy hand.
1
I really don't care. Do u?
1
Only a privileged white man with only first world problems could concoct such superficial drivel. Bruni like all other out of touch journalists revels in the palace intrigue while Rome burns. Even if the Donald’s put upon wife is trolling him so what? What Bruni and others like him don’t get is that this president is lawless. This is not a game to be won or lost. And we don’t need fluff about Melania’s outfit choices. We need journalists to hold this president accountable and to press the republican congress to do their job and check this president before he destroys our country.
15
@RJ Shearer Right on!
Let them eat cake. The words echo through the lonely, stained halls of the White House. Let Melania and her parents pack their bags and join Ivanka and her ilk in exile.
3
Im sorry, but is this a joke? shes vapid, Mr. Bruni, and youre only making us liberals look more ridiulous and full of empty narratives with such needle in the haystack observations, if I may. Speechless at this speculative high school drama style speculation.
1
Mr. Bruni
You're living in a fantasy and forgetting she married him - for a child, for $ for the glitz?
And now she's burdened and utters comments to distract us just like her husband?
3
No, Melania is not an admirable First Lady. She may or may not be needling her odious husband, but even if she is, she has failed to provide any real contribution to the United States. She has used Trump to gain citizenship for herself and her parents. She may want to speak out against Trump, but she no doubt has signed a prenup that prohibits her from doing so, and like her husband, she cares more about money than anything else. No. This woman is not a good First Lady, and it is insulting to previous First Ladies, including Michelle Obama and Laura Bush, to suggest that she is.
8
After the horrifying realization that Trump had stolen the presidency Melania called her lawyer and said I have him right where I want him, if I file for divorce it will damage his presidency so let's negotiate a new prenup while I hold all the cards! Every time a new revelation about another sexual encounter and payoff I get 1 Million per episode! I'm sure Melania Trump is as much a grifter as the rest of the are.
3
Frank, what have you been smoking? melania trump is
complicit, as complicit as feckless ivanka. She's just flirting with big boy donnie, testing the limits of her willingly accepted leash.
3
Wow, Frank. You’re WAY off. She’s complicifi in ALL of this. Her pushbacks don’t make up for her eating up our taz dollars because She can’t live with him. Honestly I’m not even sure why you wrote this.
3
Grasping at straws much Frank?
As an Eastern European chain migrant myself, I want to barf every time I see her standing next to that hateful orange Ogre. Beneath all that make-up, she is as ugly on the inside as he is. She's stuck around for 15 years, so her chosen life can't be that bad.
2
Even if Melania walked on water, she could never come close to Abigail Adams, Jacqueline Kennedy, Dolley Madison or even Michelle Obama. Trolling a troll does not a great first lady make.
6
Gee Frank, I don’t care, why do you?
2
Methinks Mr. Bruni has run out of ideas to write about.
Not that I disagree, but this is too trivial to notice. Maybe Melania is just trying to get him to divorce her so she can testify. Ummmmm.........yeah, right.
1
It's easy to go there, but honestly, we need to stop this fantasizing about a savior or spectacular damning revelation to release us from Trump, and keep up the unsexy but essential process of movement building. Political advances come from mass movements, not divorces.
7
Please no more article about this cruel vapid person. "I really do not care DO U?"
4
Bruni is too ignorant to remember the social and progressive energies of Eleanor Roosevelt, who wasn’t ever a nude model or racist married to one of the world’s biggest boors and a foreign agent.
2
If Melania has any integrity and self-respect, she will move out of the White House and take Baron with her, before he gets corrupted like his father and his half-siblings.
4
Best parody ever of a Maureen Dowd column... Wait, you're not serious, are you?
3
Ah yes, Melania. This one immigrant has caused more real damage to the US than the imaginary damage caused any one million imaginary Mexican rapists or imaginary Muslim terrorists.
1
will the NYT stop trying to make this lady into something good? Can you tell spin when you see it?
13
This is drivel. Not interesting, not persuasive, not plausible and, in the end, downright offensive in its jejuneness, Frank.
12
Seriously, Frank? Contort yourself much composing this thesis?
1
Really Frank, this was beneath you.
4
I think this is a great article. C'mon, give Melania a break and the benefit of the doubt. Many complain that she went along with the "birther" nonsense, etc in a prior life. Perhaps she didn't have the room, or enough incentive, to do otherwise at the time. But now that DJT is president, has publicly mortified her many times over, and is so busy campaigning and tweeting (rather than actually being involved in anything but promo for the government he is actually supposed to be running) he hasn't the time to keep his thumb on the "little woman". She's finally fighting back in her own way, trolling him for now, and DJT may be too dense and self-occupied to realize it. Go Melania!
Perhaps the worst Frank Bruni column ever (said in the voice of Matt Groenig's comic-book guy from the Simpsons).
3
Why has Melania stuck around Donald with his sexual wanderings such public fare, his business and family and political life such a cesspool of traitors, common criminals, grifters, cons, rats, haters, racists and misogynist pigs?
1. He's rich.
2. He's probably got a pretty good pre-nupt.
3. Melania's parents just had their US citizenship approved, (by chain migration no less).
Don't read too much into her. If she looks like a duck, and acts like a duck, and sounds like a duck...
She's a duck.
9
Either Frank Bruni is trolling us, or he's seriously losing it. Greatest first lady? I don't get it. At all.
1
Nice fantasy, Frank.
But maybe, just maybe, Melania is just another shapely Gold Digger who married a blustering rich guy, and failed to bail out with a big payout before he stumbled into the most powerful office on Earth.
Now she's stuck with him for the duration.
I don't care about her problems. Do U?
9
Frank Bruni, you home-wrecker you!
I understand your hope for Melania, but did you have to demean all previous first ladies in the process? Hood ornaments? Michele Obama was anything but. What about Eleanor Roosevelt? Hillary Clinton also expanded the role to her detriment. Frankly, you sound like Donald J.
14
This? Really?
Mr. Bruni must have thought it would be a slow news day......
4
Mr. Bruni, please get real!!
1
Mr. Bruni you are desperately grasping to find something good in this group of criminals occupying the white house. But please. How dare you even begin to equate Melania with our great and beloved First Ladies such as Michelle Obama, Jacqueline Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt (top 3). It is insulting to them and to our country's legacy to do so. Never forget, Melania is a gold digging porno model who promoted racist birtherism against President Obama. She is sullying the white house along with the rest of the trumps.
1
Maybe the "I really don't care, do you" was her way of telegraphing his thoughts? If so, she can add martyr to her list of accomplishments. I'm willing to entertain Frank's hypothesis, at least for a bit.
4
Am I reading The Onion? Give us a break. What a silly, insensitive puff piece, and an insult to every other First Lady. I expect better from the Times.
18
Yeah!!!
I don't believer her. Her "cyberbullying campaign" so far has consisted of a couple of public statements. Same with her "Be Best" bad grammar campaign. Nothing original and nothing requiring anything more that a bit of public fanfare and photo ops. The same with her trip to see the immigrant children in detention. Is she meeting with congressional committees or organizing and leading workshops? Have we seen one single change in policy, funding or push for legislation, any non-profits stepping forward to further her "goal?" She is as empty a vessel as her husband. Just not as much sound and fury, but still signifying absolutely nothing.
2
Whether Melania Trump is trolling Donald Trump is very unclear to me.........Admire a spouse who trolls their partner? I don't think so.
3
None of our greatest First Ladies would give a sleazy con artist like Trump the time of day, let alone marry him.
Eleanor Roosevelt headed the U.N. committee that wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She is still called the First Lady of the World. How
7
Melania’s transformation & classy Passive Aggressiveness occurred after her ‘husband’ had two affairs with paid hush money not to protect the family but rather to win the election;
I know that those who wish to judge her harshly in the same fashion as her husband raise Birtherism. But look at her Barbara Bush’s funeral to know that she rejected his philosophy attending and sitting between her husband’s mortal enemies. Bill & Hillary Clinton on one side; and Barack and Michelle Obama on the other. The warm relationship between them was very obvious.
Melania is a classy lady and her strategy for standing up to a domineering unhinged husband is brilliant and adaptive.(White House nickname for trump - WH Counsel - King Kong). Melanie made clear her views LeBraun James, Cyberbullying, White Pantsuit, CNN, rejecting fox, Africa trip. even her jacket. It was not against the children. Jacket calculated to rebuke and humiliate her husband and Sessions. Clearly stating their views were pathetic and she did not care what they thought.
Melania’s evolution post Access Hollywood is transformative. It is as if the exposure of Michael Cohen’s conspiracy to silence in Oct 2016 stories of her husband’s gave her independence
Her and her parent’s immigration lawyer spoke out about the prejudice of her husband’s inhumane immigration policies. praising the goodness of Melania & family, sharing his own personal familial loss that Hitler impacted on his family.
Sorry, but as long as she stays married to and supporting the unethical, bullying, democracy-destroying ,ignorant horror in the White House, nothing she says or does gives her any credibility. And her bringing another Trump into the world counts against her.
2
Melania is complicit. The only way for her to save herself is to do what Michael Cohen is doing, and dedicate herself to a new life. Unfortunately, as her willingness to go along with the birther lie shows, she most likely does not have the underlying character that would enable her to do this. A beautiful shell with a hollow interior.
7
It is impossible to accurately interpret Melania's actions without knowing her better, but one thing we do know is that her husband is a bully and a misogynist. One of the primary weapons this type of person wields is custody of the child. I can imagine trump telling her that she never again will have custody of her precious child if she leaves or openly disparages him. I can imagine him telling her that she is "only" an immigrant, perhaps that she is "only" a woman, and that he knows many powerful people who can ensure that he would be granted permanent custody of the child so that he can be "raised as a trump". It may be the furthest thing from the truth, but such a threat creates fear, doubt, and trepidation. No matter what Melania may think of trump, she may deem that no overt action on her part is worth the risk of losing her child. Perhaps this is what holds her. If this is the case, her subtle actions could be a brave act of defiance. Who knows what calling attention to them, as this article does, may mean for her psychological safety and well-being?
1
Reducing Michelle Obama to a squash grower and elevating Melania to mastermind?....this is rich.
4
This isn't even tea leaves. This is sleazy antics, including the incredibly inappropriate, grossly sexist use of a term for a woman's body part in describing the First Lady's clothes. If any woman wishes to use that sort of sexist, infantilizing language to describe herself, then have at. But it isn't appropriate for a Times columnist to do so about any woman who does not. Is there no degree of smuttiness that is off limits to you?
1
Ha! Wrong. He uses her to blunt his stupidity. Remember his birther movement....she was a willing partner, egging him on behind the scenes. Don’t get hoodwinked by these actions as she tries to create some humanity for the inhuman Trump clan.
2
I'd prefer to hear from Tiffany Trump, who is entering her second year of Law School at Georgetown. Perhaps she could argue in Moot Court whether sitting Presidents should be indictable for suspected felonies.
I can only assume this column was written bow-in-cheek, or some knotted variation. If you want First Lady greatness, think Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. The slogan on ER's jacket, if she ever deigned to wear such kitsch, would have read "I care -- and you should, too."
OH PLEASE. Melania Trump is a vapid gold digger - nothing more, nothing less.
It's the very definition of Projection to assign any thought whatsoever to Melania's wardrobe, tweets or travel plans. I'd have an easier time believing Trump himself is orchestrating her limited public persona as some form of Orwellian, double secret reverse psychology to throw people with actual thoughts off balance.
The entire Trump klan is corrupt to the core. Melania is no exception.
3
What a ridiculous question!
Eleanor Roosevelt. Abigail Adams. Dolly Madison. Hillary Clinton.
She may not hate babies and have better taste in furniture than the Unindicted-Co-Conspirator-in Chief, but by enabling her husband's rise to power, Melania Trump has rendered herself utterly unfit to join their constellation.
2
She is a " BIRTHER" and did not marry David Denison for his good looks
2
Wouldn't it be nice?
Melania Trump our greatest first lady? Uhhhhh...NO! Her husband has already destroyed so many lives and families from immigrants crossing the border to those closest to him that her feckless efforts at this juncture are too little too late.
2
Melania Trump is a cipher. No more, no less.
Melania the Enabler!
Give me mercy Frank.
1
Frank! This is nothing more than good-cop bad-cop duo. Wake up. She is complicit as they come. They are thick as thieves.
3
Are you sure Bruni’s column didn’t get confused with Borowitz’s?
2
Don't over think Melania, she is just not that smart. To me she is just The Feckless Coat. Her only real accomplishment in life is marrying a rich man. You are bending over backwards at an olympic level here to make her someone she is just not.
3
Mr. Bruni- Your infatuation with a fantasy is showing. You elevate a person who has clearly benefitted from her association with a mobster-connected NY real estate mogul turned bad President- as if her own collusion all these years can be ignored?
But worst of all, your line: "Other first ladies beautified highways, promoted reading, planted squash . . ." reduces our truly great First Ladies to over-simplified, two-word images.
Lady Bird Johnson? Laura Bush? Michelle Obama?? How dare you use your blinding, male privilege to elevate the undeserving Melania while denying the true greatness of these others.
So easily done. Shame on you.
6
Clickbait and a "no," thank you.
6
Fox may be giving him something to watch that they'll doubtless claim after he's gone kept him sufficiently pacified to prevent nuclear holocaust.
But has some body figured out how to give him something to touch?
1
Thinly argued clickbait. I’ll grant that she seems like a loving, devoted parent to Barron, who seems like a good kid who just might turn out ok. Beyond that, she doesn’t deserve our assumptions of good faith.
2
Go Melania! Take the world press to Africa and bring attention to real issues. Leave Donald in Donald world - ranting to his cult.
We will love you all the more for it.
oh yeah the greatest - no one could be a better first lady than Melania Trump!
1
This article was so far-fetched I can only think that Russian hackers have found the way to tinker with the cerebellums of erstwhile Liberal columnists.
8
Wow, going to the border (and not visiting kids) in your “I don’t really care” fashion is so First Lady. Laughable.
4
This is the second time in a week that the Times serves up a flattering piece on Melania Trump. Just remember she was fully in to birtherism. She is not smart enough to troll Trump the way this article wants us to believe.
2
No. She's just a vapid gold digger.
4
Frank, you are engaging in an exercise in wishful thinking. Melania trump, First Lady?"
Fake News!
What a despicable and insulting headline. Excuse me for not reading the article.
5
I wonder if she lets her son Baron be a twitter follower of the POTUS
Melania is a fraud. She backed Trump's birther nonsense and some his other disgusting policies. If she really believed her bullying script she'd call her husband out by name.
2
She wants to help the children ... I want to know where's her kid????? Never see a photo, video, nothing. How about the Father playing with his son. Easter? Christmas? Summer Break? Birthday Party? I mean I saw the Obama girls all the time. The Bush twins, Chelsea Clinton ... I know criticizing Presidential children is off limits, but I simply want to know why he is being hidden? it's not normal ...
3
If she's so great, why did she marry - and stay with - a psychopathic liar, a serial sex abuser, a serial bankrupt, a loud-mouthed braggart...shall I go on? What kind of person marries such a lowlife?
This is another example of a pundit being swept away by his own marvelous insight and idea - kind of like when a bunch of fellow pundits solemnly declared that this guy finally became "presidential" when he bombed Syria. Fatuous, insipid, and so very wrong.
You know who was a great First Lady? Eleanor Roosevelt. You know who isn't? Melania.
6
Yet another article published in the NYT trying to sell us either Ivanka or Melania as moral counterpoints to our Charlatan in Chief. Very strange. Nobody associated with this family can wash off the sleaze. We could almost absolve Ivana, who bailed early, except that she appears to have taken money to drop her accusations of forcible rape, a felony for which we the monster would never have been eligible for office.
3
@Tom
Good point about Ivana. However, most rape victims don't report, so I'm not willing to judge her decisions on that, whether motivated by money or not.
And she couldn't have been expected to know she could, theoretically, have spared us this cataclysmic presidency.
1
A friend of mine thinks Melania's seemingly little rebellious acts are orchestrated and are Mr. and Mrs. Trump playing good cop-bad cop and both ends against the middle.
Donald is jerk and brings out the worse human instincts in his base. He never won the popular vote by a mile, and his disapproval poll ratings have consistently surpassed his slightly over one third approval ratings. Even the LDS conservatives out here in Utah say they really don't like his behavior.
Melania takes the edge off Trump and plays the role of the sweet, passive wife. She does little things that could "suggest" she is a kinder person than her her cruel and boorish buffoon of a husband.
It's all relative with the self-serving, manipulative, limelight-seeking Trumps, who live on the negative side of the humanity graph. Melania may be the best of them, but she is no Mother Teresa and certainly no Michelle Obama!
3
Wow, you must be desperate for clicks if you've decided on a headline like that one. On the other hand, throwing your own history under the bus is now the American way, eh?
1
You are too kind. She is just as horrid as her husband.
3
Melania is a "birther" – like her racist husband. She merits no consideration or "benefit of the doubt".
2
Gag me with a spoon. Melania is as deeply complicit as her wreck of a human being husband. They deserve each other.
8
Is this People magazine or the NYT? Bruni does a despicable disservice to all the decent and educated First Ladies that came before this nude model by suggesting that this person is even worthy of comparison much alone to be called the best First Lady ever. She is a soulless robot and is the embodiment of the exact opposite of anything I would want my daughters to become. She is a side piece and was imported for her looks and breeding, much like a horse. I wouldn’t doubt if she was a spy.
17
What a fantasy writer! She could, she could, she could, if, if, if. No matter how deep you dig, she isn’t, she isn’t, she isn’t. I guess, truth isn’t truth for Bruni, too!
2
Do you need a vacation, Frank? You seem to have lost your sense of history.
5
Are we talking about the nitwit, gold-digging escort/soft-porn star?
That Melania Trump?
13
Sorry, Frank, but you're being naive and delusional, I fear.
2
Frank....you have jumped the shark....no there there with Melania....she is complicit in everything that this admin is going....fashion won’t save us....#youneedasabbatical
7
Oh, PLEASE. At best, she's the Enabler-In-Chief.
2
Melania Trump is only a wealthy man's arm candy. She has repeatedly done whatever will serve her interests, whether stripping for photographers, participating in soft core porn, or marrying Trump for access to his money, citizenship, and chain migration for her Communist parents.
4
I don't care how flippant this column is, it's really annoying. It trivializes and dishonors truly great First Ladies, like Eleanor Roosevelt.
What a low bar for Melania.
11